//,  /O , /o. 


0t  tlw 

PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


A 


r*h 


% 


% 


Purchased  by  the  Hamill  Missionary  Fund. 


Division 


Section  • 


FI  95  8 

£75.... 


/ 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/downinportorico00fowl_0 


Harbor  of  San  Juan 


Down 


In  Porto  Rico 


BY 


GEORGE  MILTON  FOWLES 


REVISED  EDITION 


NEW  YORK 

YOUNG  PEOPLE’S  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT 
OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 

1910 


Copyright,  1906,  1910,  by 
EATON  & MAINS 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Foreword. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Physical  and  Historical  Sketches. 

I.  Physical  Features. 

II.  Historical  Sketch. 

III.  Who  are  the  Porto  Ricans  ? 

CHAPTER  n. 

The  Homes  of  the  People. 

I.  Dwellings  of  the  Poor. 

II.  Houses  of  the  Higher  Classes 

CHAPTER  III. 

Characteristics  and  Customs. 

I.  Physical  Characteristics. 

II.  Mental  Characteristics. 

III.  Customs. 

IV.  Amusements. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Education. 

I.  Spanish  Provisions. 

II.  Under  the  United  States  Military 

Government. 

III.  Under  Civil  Government. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Morals  and  Religion. 

I.  Moral  Conditions. 

II.  Catholicism. 

III.  Protestantism 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Industrial  and  Political  Situation. 

I.  Industrial  Conditions. 

II.  The  Political  Situation. 

1Y 


Table  of  Contents 


CHAPTER  VII.  Further  Progress  under  American 
Administration. 

I.  Education,  Morals  and  Religion, 

Industrial  and  Political  Con- 
ditions. 

II.  President  Taft’s  Message  on 

Porto  Rico. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Harbor  of  San  Juan Frontispiece. 

FACING  PAGE 

Map  of  Porto  Rico 4 

Landscape  Views 10 

Places  of  Historic  Interest 18 

Dwellings  of  the  Poor 24 

Residences  of  Higher  Classes 34 

A Porto  Rican  Family 42 

Disposal  of  Dead 46 

Some  Native  Types 52 

Market  Scenes 58 

Various  Amusements 62 

Types  of  School  Buildings 68 

The  Lowest  Classes 96 

Catholic  Churches 114 

Representatives  of  Protestantism 122 

Industrial  Scenes 126 

Patriotic  Demonstrations 152 


FOREWORD 

This  book  is  not  a history  of  Porto  Rico. 
It  is  intended  to  give  a picture  of  Porto 
Rican  life  as  it  now  exists.  To  do  this  it  has 
been  necessary  to  fill  in  an  historical  back- 
ground. The  prominent  figures,  however, 
are  the  Porto  Ricans  of  to-day.  We  spent 
a year  on  the  Island  studying  their  home 
life,  their  personal  characteristics,  their 
social,  moral,  and  religious  customs,  their 
education,  their  economic  condition,  and 
their  efforts  at  self-government.  The  writer 
has  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  a number  of 
Porto  Rican  homes,  has  formed  many  warm 
friendships,  and  has  faith  in  the  ultimate 
success  of  the  Porto  Rican  people. 

We  have  not  written  in  a spirit  of  criti- 
cism, neither  have  we  attempted  to  gloss  over 
imperfections.  There  has  been  no  attempt 
made  to  cover  up  the  mistakes  and  short- 
comings of  Porto  Ricans,  Spaniards,  or 
Americans.  Our  one  aim  has  been  to  paint 
the  picture  true  to  life.  If  this  work  suc- 
ceeds in  giving  its  readers  a clearer  view  of 
conditions  “Down  in  Porto  Rico,”  to  the  end 
that  they  may  help  to  usher  in  a brighter 
day  to  these,  our  fellow-citizens,  we  shall 
feel  that  we  have  not  labored  in  vain. 

G.  M.  F. 


CHAPTER  I 

Physical  and  Historical  Sketches 

I.  PHYSICAL  FEATURES 

Porto  Rico  is  the  fourth  in  size  and  is  the 
farthest  eastward  of  the  larger  islands  of 
the  West  Indies,  standing  at  the  gateway 
to  the  Caribbean  Sea.  It  is  situated  be- 
tween 18°  30'  and  17°  55'  north  latitude, 
and  in  longitude  between  68°  and  65°  10' 
west  from  Greenwich.  In  shape,  Porto  Rico 
is  almost  a rectangle,  being  about  one  hun- 
dred miles  long  and  about  thirty-six  miles 
wide. 

The  surface  is  exceedingly  broken.  With 
the  exception  of  a small  strip  of  level  coast  BurfaO0 
line,  the  Island  consists  of  a series  of  hills 
and  valleys.  The  highest  point  is  in  the 
northeastern  part  and  is  called  El  Yunque. 

This  peak  rises  about  5,000  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  In  a general  way  the  range 
of  hills  extends  from  east  to  wTest  through 
the  center  of  the  Island,  but  it  is  so  broken 
that  it  can  scarcely  be  called  a continuous 
range.  The  valleys  all  have  rivers  which 
vary  from  tiny  rivulets  in  the  dry  season  to 
raging  torrents  during  the  rainy  season. 


2 


Down  in  Porto  Eico 


The  number  of  rivers  vary  from  forty  to 
sixty,  according  to  the  judgment  of  the  geog- 
rapher in  distinguishing  between  brooks 
and  rivers.  Much  more  rain  falls  on  the 
northern  side  than  on  the  southern  side  of 
the  Island.  The  trade  winds  from  the  east 
bring  moisture,  which  is  precipitated  on  the 
northern  portion  of  the  Island,  thus  supply- 
ing rain  nearly  the  whole  year.  On  the 
southern  side,  there  are  months  at  a time 
when  no  rain  falls  and  agriculture  is  carried 
on  by  means  of  irrigation.  The  Island, 
therefore,  has  a wet  and  dry  side  rather 
than  a wet  and  dry  season. 

The  soil  of  Porto  Eico,  as  a rule,  is  verv 

g ii  7/4/ 

01  productive,  although  in  many  places  it  has 
been  cultivated  so  long  without  fertilization 
of  any  kind  that  it  has  become  quite  poor. 
The  north  side,  owing  to  the  abundance  of 
rain,  is  well  adapted  for  grazing  and  for 
raising  crops  that  require  much  moisture; 
while  the  south  side  is  especially  favorable 
to  the  growth  of  sugar  cane.  One  of  the 
anomalous  conditions  that  is  observed  here 
is  the  comparatively  small  areas  that  are 
under  cultivation.  With  an  immense  popu- 
lation, it  would  be  thought  that  agriculture 
would  be  carried  on  intensely  as  in  the 


Physical  and  Historical  Sketches  3 


crowded  parts  of  Europe.  Such,  however, 
is  not  the  case.  Although  every  foot  of  land 
is  tillable,  there  is  less  than  one  fourth 
under  actual  cultivation.  Various  reasons 
are  given  for  this  state  of  affairs.  The  chief 
ones  advanced  are  as  follows : that  much  of 
the  land  is  owned  by  men  who  live  in  Spain ; 
that  in  Porto  Rico  there  is  an  exceedingly 
small  middle  class;  that  it  is  almost  impos- 
sible for  the  farmer  because  of  his  poverty 
and  the  smallness  of  his  wage  to  buy  land  to 
cultivate;  that  the  banks  hold  heavy  mort- 
gages on  much  of  the  property;  that  the 
roads  are  so  bad  as  to  render  transportation 
difficult  and  very  expensive;  and  that  the 
markets  on  the  Island  are  not  large  enough 
to  demand  additional  produce,  while  com- 
merce with  other  countries  is  not  sufficiently 
regular  or  profitable  to  allow  the  producer 
to  depend  upon  it.  These  objections,  how- 
ever, can  all  be  overcome,  and  there  is  no 
good  reason  why  with  such  fertility  of  soil, 
Porto  Rico  may  not  some  day  be  a rich  and 
profitable  garden  plot  for  the  large  Amer- 
ican cities  of  the  Atlantic  Coast. 

The  coast  of  Porto  Rico  has  numerous 
harbors,  but  none  at  present  that  are  avail- 
able for  vessels  of  deep  draught.  San  Juan, 


Coast 

Lina 


4 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Neigh- 

boring: 

Islands 


Guanica  and  Jobos  are  landlocked  and  are 
considered  fine  harbors  for  small  vessels. 
Arecibo,  Aguadilla,  Mayaguez  and  Ponce 
are  open  roadsteads.  These  are  the  princi- 
pal harbors  of  Porto  Rico,  all  of  which  are 
in  need  of  improvement 

Near  the  coast  of  Porto  Rico  and  belong- 
ing to  it  are  a number  of  small  islands  of 
more  or  less  importance.  The  island  of  Cu- 
lebra,  lying  to  the  eastward,  is  rocky  and 
barren,  but  it  has  a magnificent  harbor, 
capable  of  sheltering  the  largest  war  ves- 
sels. It  seems  to  be  the  intention  of  the 
United  States  naval  authorities  to  use  this 
island  as  a coaling  station  and  a harbor  for 
vessels. 

The  island  of  Vieques,  situated  southeast 
of  Porto  Rico,  is  quite  fertile.  It  is  about 
twenty-five  miles  long  and  seven  miles  wide. 
The  southern  portion  of  the  island  is  given 
up  largely  to  producing  sugar,  while  in  the 
northern  part  the  raising  of  cattle  is  the 
chief  industry.  This  little  island  supports 
a population  of  about  7,000  souls  . 

There  are  also  a number  of  smaller  islands 
that  belong  to  Porto  Rico  and  are  situated 
quite  near  its  coast.  At  the  entrance  to 
San  Juan  harbor  lies  Goat  Island,  which  is 


66°30' 


rr 

Pt.  Bruquen 
Aguaoatil 
"Pt.  Enxenada 
Aguadilla  c 
Ao’iadUla  Bai/jQfv li 

Llatif 


* PUya  gran d*. 

M AV  AGO 

JUayaguez  May*. 
Rio  Ho 
Ouanaglbo  Pt.< 
Ouanag. 
Aronaa  Pt\ 

L.  Jnyu 


•VS*  A j - t 


es1*)' 


£ //  / /?  <>' 
/.///  */  / 


c 


E 


A X 


w/y 

V '%  'V 
*»* 


jflf 

&//**  * /$* 

K/  ^ o'5’ 


iK»iupt.^e^v^7  ?v  . 
„»'C-0  /.w  %• 


J*  J? 


ISLANDS 

WEST  OF 

PORTO  RICO 

On  Same  Scale  as  Main  Map. 


. *>T?TT/*w  * a 

ww  #/  Z'W^^wEWfA 

s*  '-‘  1 *&+4*,  *yj  s*f  4 i. 

Mu“™  '■  X?  ^ / A A/ 

B \ * X 

P©BT©  MCJ© 


i 


:,r 

B 


,1> 


Mokito 

^l*L*SfD 


yL 


^ Past  Capa 
I’laya  Pajaro 


©C^I^ES.. 

Statute  Miles,  12-1  Inch. 


Kilometres,  19-1  Inch. 


.,  V“<> 

A.  ■*?>« 


X 


s 


E 


A 


Explanation: 

Rallfoadu  . 

Rotdi — 


Pn.UeT  L 
Algarrobo  ( 


>F«ltoci 


iuez 


MAYAGUEZ 
BAY. 
Scalp 
-*  S 


Cuchara"Point 

Abc.oiiCav  luflwa  ;j 


CATTTORn 


PORT  PONCE 


JPerionoillu  Point  < 
CareneroPolnt 
Oataa  Uttn# 


""'vPORT  PONCE.1 

gabdbkas  i.aa  Sc4Le 

X H H 


X TL  a .t  tic 


*K>  Ca«THA°1 


0 CErt  Jt 

■y 


C^“nn,, 


“*c** 


<5> 

Catafio  Point 


;.  ai«^»  * 


4^ 


SBOlt  ,\+*1 


Bay  amon  Road  - 

«/? 

Port  San  Juan. 

Scale. 


IjLandlu#  J- 


aV 


fi 


Ylra/arti  Cut 


S 


Physical  ami  Historical  Sketches  5 


used  by  the  government  for  a leper  colony. 
This  has  led  to  the  suggestion  that  the  other 
islands  could  be  used  by  the  government  for 
prisons,  asylums,  and  various  public  insti- 
tutions. 

The  climate  of  Porto  Rico  is  delightful. 
There  is  never  any  cold  weather  and  very 
few  hot  days.  The  thermometer  remains 
quite  regularly  between  sixty-five  and 
eighty-five  degrees,  but  the  average  change 
from  hottest  to  coldest  is  only  six  degrees. 
Every  day  the  trade  winds  blow  from  the 
east  and  moderate  the  temperature.  This 
sea  breeze  springs  up  late  in  the  afternoon 
and  lasts  through  the  evening  and  into  the 
night.  It  is  delightfully  refreshing  and  en- 
joyable, but  it  has  a soothing  rather  than 
an  invigorating  effect  upon  persons.  The 
nights  are  usually  cool  and  very  frequently 
rain  falls. 

In  the  higher  elevations  the  temperature 
is  considered  much  cooler  than  along  the 
coast,  but  nowhere  is  the  heat  unbearable. 
According  to  the  United  States  Weather 
Bureau  report,  the  lowest  temperature  of 
the  day  is  usually  between  5 and  6 a.  m. 
It  then  rises  until  10  a.  mv  when  it  remains 
stationary  till  about  2 p.  m.  It  then  falls 


Climate 


6 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Dengue 

Fever 


gradually  until  5 a.  m.  of  the  next  day. 
The  month  of  January  has  the  lowest  mean 
temperature,  the  month  of  August  the  high- 
est mean  temperature,  but  May  has  the 
highest  temperature  of  the  year.  At  San 
Juan,  the  highest  temperature  recorded 
since  the  Weather  Bureau  was  established 
was  94°  in  May,  1903,  while  the  lowest  was 
G5°  in  March  of  the  same  year. 

The  year  is  divided  into  the  wet  season 
and  the  dry  season.  The  former  includes 
the  months  from  April  to  November,  while 
the  latter  extends  from  December  to  March. 
The  rainfall  during  the  rainy  season  is  48 
to  49  inches,  and  during  the  dry  season  10 
to  11  inches.  At  no  season  of  the  year  are 
there  many  rainy  days.  In  the  afternoon 
or  evenings,  without  much  warning,  the  rain 
begins  to  fall  heavily,  but  the  shower  is 
soon  over.  To  the  casual  observer  there  is 
little  difference  in  the  weather  between  the 
dry  season  and  the  wet  season.  At  no  time 
of  the  year  does  the  rain  incommode  him  to 
any  great  extent. 

Most  Americans,  coming  as  they  do  from 
farther  north,  find  the  climate  of  Porto  Rico 
enervating.  While  they  acknowledge  the 
charms  of  this  tropical  atmosphere,  they 


Physical  and  Historical  Sketches  7 

soon  long  for  the  invigorating  air  of  the 
North.  Many  persons  during  the  time  they 
are  becoming  acclimated  in  Porto  Rico  are 
subject  to  attacks  of  “dengue”  fever,  which 
is  a sort  of  malaria  known  in  the  South  as 
“break-bone”  fever.  The  experiences  of 
those  who  are  thus  afflicted  are  far  from  en- 
joyable, but  happily  the  malady  is  neither 
fatal  nor  of  protracted  length. 

Porto  Rico,  like  all  other  West  India 
Islands,  is  subject  to  occasional  hurricanes. 
These  are  destructive  to  life  and  property 
and  usually  work  great  havoc.  The  last  of 
these  storms  occurred  August  8,  1899. 
Over  two  thousand  people  lost  their  lives 
and  the  destruction  to  property  was  enor- 
mous. The  towns  of  Ponce,  Arroyo,  Huma- 
cao  and  Yabucao  suffered  the  most.  The 
coffee  plantations  in  the  interior  were 
ruined,  the  cane  crops  along  the  coast  were 
destroyed,  many  sugar  mills  were  blown 
down,  fruit  trees  were  uprooted,  and,  as  a 
result  of  the  storm,  famine  immediately  fol- 
lowed. Had  it  not  been  for  the  prompt  aid 
received  from  the  United  States,  thousands 
of  other  lives  would  have  been  lost.  These 
hurricanes,  however,  are  not  frequent.  Dur- 
ing the  400  years  of  the  recorded  history 


Hurri- 

canes 


8 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


A Cap- 
tain Ap- 
pointed 


Ponce 

Explores 

the 

Island 


of  Porto  Rico,  there  have  been  six  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  one  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  two  in  the  eighteenth  century,  and 
ten  in  the  nineteenth  century.1 

II.  Historical  Sketches 
Porto  Rico  was  discovered  by  Columbus 
on  his  second  voyage,  which  left  Cadiz  Sep- 
tember 25,  1493.  On  the  sixteenth  of  No- 
vember, the  southeastern  part  of  Porto  Rico 
was  sighted.  The  fleet  sailed  along  the 
southern  coast,  then  up  the  western  shore, 
and  on  the  nineteenth  Columbus  landed  and 
planted  the  cross  south  of  the  present  town 
of  Aguadilla.  This  spot  is  now  marked  by  a 
granite  monument  erected  by  the  people  in 
1893  on  the  400th  anniversary  of  the  discov- 
ery of  the  Island.  The  granite  is  in  the  form 
of  a cross  and  bears  the  following  inscrip- 
tion : “1493,  19  de  Noviembre,  1893.” 

In  1505,  Vicente  Yanez  Pinzon  was  ap- 
pointed Captain  of  the  Island,  and  was  au- 
thorized to  build  a fort  there.  Pinzon 
transferred  his  rights  to  Martin  Garcia  de 
Salazar,  while  he  himself  sought  larger 
fields  of  conquest  on  the  continent. 

In  1508,  Don  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon,  who 
had  been  with  Columbus  when  he  landed 
at  Porto  Rico,  then  known  as  Boriquen,  ob- 

1 Acosta' a Notes  to  Fray  Inigo  Abbad’s  History  of  Porto  Rico. 


Physical  and  Historical  Sketches  9 

tained  permission  from  Commander  Ovando 
of  La  Espanola,  as  Santo  Domingo  was 
then  called,  to  take  a party  on  an  exploring 
trip  to  Boriquen,  which  Columbus  had 
named  San  Juan  Bautista. 

Ponce  fitted  out  a vessel  with  a few 
followers  and  some  Indians  as  guides  and 
interpreters.  He  called  at  the  island  of 
Mona,  which  was  then  inhabited  by  Indians, 
and  made  friends  with  them.  From  here 
he  sailed  to  the  island  of  San  Juan.  Ponce 
and  his  men  were  well  received  by  the 
natives,  who  entered  into  bonds  of  friend- 
ship with  them.  Ponce  then  requested  the 
chief  to  show  him  where  they  found  the 
yellow  metal  from  which  they  made  disks. 
An  Indian  pointed  out  the  auriferous  sands 
of  several  rivers,  and  Ponce  took  with  him 
some  samples  of  the  gold  found  there.  The 
exploring  expedition  continued  until  it 
came  to  the  Bay  of  San  Juan.  Here  Ponce 
left  some  of  his  companions  to  lay  the  foun- 
dations of  a town,  while  he  returned  to  La 
Espanola  to  report  his  voyage  and  test  his 
samples  of  gold.  The  gold  was  not  as  fine 
as  that  found  in  La  Espafiola,  but  it  was 
still  considered  valuable. 


10 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


The 

First 

Settle- 

ment 


Diego 

Columbus 


Indian 

Rebellion 


Ponce  soon  returned  to  San  Juan,  where 
he  assisted  in  building  the  town  of  Caparra 
on  the  bay  facing  the  present  site  of  the 
capital.  This  town  retained  its  original  site 
and  name  until  1521,  when  by  royal  order 
it  was  transferred  to  the  present  situation 
and  the  name  changed  to  Porto  Rico.  Later 
the  whole  Island  became  known  as  Porto 
Rico  and  the  town  was  called  San  Juan. 

Ponce  was  not  permitted  to  remain  in 
control  of  San  Juan  for  any  great  length  of 
time.  Diego  Columbus  claimed  the  right  to 
rule  the  island  by  virtue  of  the  discovery 
made  by  his  father.  In  this  he  wras  sus- 
tained by  the  King  of  Spain  in  1511,  and 
Ponce  delivered  his  office  to  Juan  Ceron  and 
withdrew  to  his  own  residence  in  Caparra. 

During  the  time  Ponce  was  governor  of 
San  Juan,  his  followers  scattered  all 
through  the  island  in  search  of  gold.  They 
compelled  the  Indians  to  wash  the  river 
sands  for  gold  and  proved  themselves  hard 
taskmasters. 

The  Indians  were  further  degraded  and 
practically  reduced  to  slavery  by  a system 
of  “distribution”  by  which  they  were  as- 
signed to  the  settlers  in  various  numbers. 
The  Indians  resented  this,  but  they  still  be- 


Landscape  Views 
Military  Road  Near  Guayama 
A River  Scene 


Physical  and  Historical  Sketches  11 


lieved  that  their  oppressors  were  supernat- 
ural beings,  and  hence  they  were  afraid  to 
oppose  them.  They  had  this  illusion  dis- 
pelled in  the  following  manner : One  of  their 
number  volunteered  to  carry  a young  Span- 
iard across  a stream.  When  they  reached 
the  deepest  part,  the  native  threw  him  into 
the  water  and  held  him  down  until  he 
drowned.  By  this  act  they  learned  that  the 
Spaniards  were  subject  to  death.  This  was 
a signal  for  a general  rebellion  which  con- 
tinued until  the  death  of  the  chief  Guay- 
bana.  Left  without  a leader,  the  Indians 
soon  subsided  into  their  former  condition  of 
servitude. 

In  1544,  the  King  of  Spain  ordered  the 
Indians  to  be  set  free,  but  it  was  too  late  — 
the  race  had  perished.  The  number  of  In- 
dians in  Porto  Rico  when  the  Spaniards 
first  arrived  has  been  variously  estimated 
from  16,000  to  600,000.  When  the  Bishop 
of  San  Juan,  in  1544,  reported  how  many 
had  been  set  free  by  royal  proclamation,  he 
said  that  the  total  number  affected,  includ- 
ing men,  women  and  children,  was  sixty. 

With  the  rapid  extinction  of  the  Indians, 
the  output  of  gold  decreased  until  the 
settlers  in  desperation  bought  negroes  on 


A Doomed 
Race 


Negroes 

Introduced 


12 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Internal 

Disorder 


Attacks 

From 

Without 


credit  in  the  hope  of  discovering  new  de- 
posits. In  1534  news  came  of  the  wonder- 
ful riches  of  Peru  and  Mexico,  and  the 
island  was  almost  depopulated.  The  gov- 
ernor imposed  the  death  penalty  upon  any 
one  who  should  attempt  to  leave,  but,  not- 
withstanding threats  and  punishments,  the 
inhabitants  nearly  all  succeeded  in  getting 
away  from  the  island. 

From  this  date  until  the  close  of  the  cen- 
tury, Porto  Rico  was  in  constant  turmoil 
from  foes  within  and  without.  The  few 
Spaniards  who  remained  quarreled  about 
the  forms  of  government.  The  negro  slaves 
had  in  many  instances  withdrawn  to  the 
hills  and  forests  from  which  they  made  in- 
cursions upon  their  old  masters. 

In  addition  to  these  troubles,  the  island 
was  in  a defenseless  condition  and  was  har- 
assed by  pirates  and  privateers.  In  1595, 
the  English  under  Drake  made  an  attack 
upon  the  island,  but  a Spanish  fleet  sent  to 
convoy  some  merchantmen  carrying  gold  to 
the  King  happened  to  be  in  the  harbor  of 
San  Juan  and  compelled  the  English  fleet 
to  withdraw.  Two  years  later  the  English 
under  Lord  Cumberland  landed  at  what  is 
now  called  Santurce  and  took  possession  of 


Physical  and  Historical  Sketches  13 

the  capital.  Dysentery  and  yellow  fever 
wrought  such  havoc  among  the  troops  that 
the  English  commander  was  obliged  to  leave 
the  island. 

In  1625,  a Dutch  fleet  of  seventeen  ves- 
sels appeared  in  the  harbor  of  San  Juan 
and  took  the  city;  but  after  a siege  of  one 
month,  in  which  they  failed  to  take  the  fort, 
they  sailed  away,  having  lost  their  general, 
one  of  their  largest  vessels,  and  four  hun- 
dred men. 

During  the  rest  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, Porto  Rico  was  at  war  with  privateers, 
freebooters  and  pirates  who  infested  the 
West  Indies  and  preyed  upon  Spanish  com- 
merce. England,  France  and  Holland  fur- 
nished most  of  these,  and  as  Spain  was  at 
war  with  these  nations  at  home  and  was  be- 
ing defeated  by  them,  she  had  not  the  force 
to  spare  for  the  defence  of  Porto  Rico,  and 
the  islanders  had  to  shift  for  themselves. 

In  1702,  the  English  attacked  Arecibo, 
but  were  forced  to  re-embark.  In  1703, 
they  landed  in  the  neighborhood  of  San  Ger- 
man, but  were  again  compelled  to  return  to 
their  vessels.  Other  attacks  were  made  by 
them  in  1743  near  Ponce,  and  in  1797,  upon 
(he  capital,  but  they  were  not  successful. 


14 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Immigra- 
tion En- 
couraged 


At  this  late  date,  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  Porto  Rico  had  a popu- 
lation of  only  155,426.  Owing  largely  to 
the  smuggling  custom  then  in  vogue,  these 
people  were  unable  to  pay  the  expenses  of 
the  government,  and  $100,000  annually  had 
to  be  sent  from  Mexico  to  make  up  the  defi- 
cit. 

In  1815,  a royal  proclamation  was  issued 
known  as  “Regulations  for  promoting  the 
population,  commerce,  industry  and  agri- 
culture of  Puerto  Rico.”  Foreigners  were 
invited  to  the  Island,  rights  of  Spanish 
citizenship  were  promised  them,  land  Avas 
granted  them  free  of  all  expenses,  they  were 
to  be  exempt  from  export  duties  on  their 
products  and  from  import  duties  on  agri- 
cultural implements,  negro  slaves  could  be 
brought  iuto  the  country  without  restric- 
tion, and  free  trade  between  Spain  and  her 
possessions  was  to  be  in  force  for  fifteen 
years. 

This  decree  attracted  many  colonists 
from  the  French  and  English  Antilles. 
They  came  with  capital,  with  slaves,  with 
agricultural  knowledge,  and  their  influence 
in  Porto  Rico  did  much  to  improve  eco- 
nomic conditions  here.  The  population  was 


Physical  and  Historical  Sketches  15 


further  increased  by  emigrants  from  Hayti, 
Santo  Domingo,  Venezuela  and  other  places 
where  war  drove  out  many  of  the  inhabit- 
ants who  desired  a land  of  peace. 

This  order  marked  the  beginning  of  a new 
life  in  Porto  Rico.  From  the  discovery  of 
the  Island  to  1778,  immigration  was  re- 
stricted to  Spaniards.  At  that  date  Cath- 
olic workmen  of  other  nations  were  granted 
admittance,  but  in  1815  the  doors  were 
opened  to  all.  This  was  restricted  some- 
Avhat  the  following  year  by  requiring  those 
who  had  not  gained  a residence  to  depart 
from  the  Island,  but  great  good  had  already 
been  accomplished  by  the  large  influx  of 
foreigners.  During  the  remainder  of  the 
nineteenth  century  there  was  a steady  in- 
crease in  population  and  comparatively 
little  war. 

In  1825,  a body  of  enthusiastic  Colom- 
bians, under  Simon  Bolivar,  landed  near 
Aguadilla  with  the  intention  of  helping  the 
Porto  Ricans  to  throw  off  the  Spanish  rule 
as  they  themselves  had  done.  The  people, 
however,  did  not  respond  to  this  army  of 
liberation,  and  the  Spaniards  compelled 
them  to  withdraw  and  the  enterprise  was 
abandoned.  The  next  disturbance  was  in 


New  Con- 
ditions 


Later 

Disturb- 

ances 


16 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Emancipa- 
tion of 
Slaves 


1868.  About  800  men  met  at  Lares  and  set 
up  the  Republic  of  Boriquen.  After  a few 
days  of  enthusiasm,  the  army  of  the  Re- 
public dwindled  to  two  or  three  hundred 
men  who  were  finally  put  to  flight  by  about 
a dozen  militiamen. 

An  event  of  importance  occurred  on 
March  22,  1873.  This  was  a decree  by  the 
Republican  government  of  Spain  giving 
freedom  to  all  negro  slaves  in  Porto  Rico. 
By  this  proclamation,  34,000  persons  were 
released  from  the  bonds  of  slavery. 

The  last  fifteen  years  of  Spanish  rule 
in  Porto  Rico  was  characterized  by  many 
acts  of  persecution.  Men  of  education  ayIio 
advocated  liberal  ideas  were  thrown  into 
prison,  or  exiled,  or  tortured.  Persons  be- 
longing to  secret  societies  whose  purposes 
were  supposed  to  be  disloyal  were  arrested 
by  the  civil  guard  and  subjected  to  severe 
tortures.  Not  only  were  suspected  men 
maimed,  but  in  many  instances,  they  were 
killed  by  instruments  of  torture. 

In  1896,  the  government  instituted  more 
liberal  laws  in  deference  to  public  opinion 
of  other  nations,  especially  of  the  United 


Physical  and  Historical  Sketches  17 

States.  On  November  25,  1897,  a royal  de- 
cree was  signed  granting  autonomy  to  Porto 
Rico. 

Spain,  however,  was  too  late  in  introduc- 
ing her  reforms.  The  Island  was  declared 
in  a state  of  war  by  the  governor-general 
on  April  21,  1898,  and  on  July  25,  Porto 
Rico  became  a part  of  the  United  States. 

III.  Who  Are  the  Porto  Ricans? 

When  the  Spaniards  discovered  Porto  The  Abor- 
Rico,  they  found  the  Island  inhabited  by  a lgines 
copper-colored  race,  who,  in  common  with 
the  natives  of  the  other  West  Indies  and  of 
the  continent,  became  known  as  Indians. 

While  those  of  Porto  Rico  resembled  the 
Indians  of  the  continent  in  the  color  of  the 
skin,  in  the  prominent  cheek  bones,  and  in 
the  long,  coarse  hair,  they  differed  from 
them  in  many  respects.  The  Indian  of  the 
continent  was  a large,  raw-boned,  warlike 
savage,  who  delighted  in  hunting  and  fight- 
ing. The  Indian  of  Porto  Rico  was  short 
in  stature,  stout,  peaceful  and  indolent.  He 
is  described  as  having  a flat  nose,  poor  teeth, 
dull  eyes,  narrow  forehead,  and  a skull  ar- 
tificially fashioned  into  the  shape  of  a cone. 

Most  of  his  time  was  spent  in  a hammock 


18 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Mixture 
of  Span- 
ish and 
Indian 
Blood 


Negro 

and 

Indian 


made  from  the  bark  of  trees.  Unlike  the 
Indian  of  the  North,  he  cared  little  for  flesh 
foods  and  lived  chiefly  on  vegetables.  His 
place  of  abode  was  a hut  built  of  sugar  cane 
which  had  one  opening  only.  Thus  having 
a permanent  hut  instead  of  a movable  wig- 
wam, he  was  more  established  in  his  resi- 
dence than  the  Indian  of  the  continent.  He 
was  like  him,  however,  in  wearing  very  little 
clothing,  in  painting  his  body,  in  decorating 
his  hair  with  feathers,  in  belonging  to  a 
tribe  whose  ruler  was  called  the  chief. 

These  were  the  people  that  Ponce  found 
when  he  came  to  explore  the  Island  in  1508. 
Spanish  blood  began  to  mingle  with  Indian 
blood  from  the  very  first.  Ponce  won  the 
friendship  of  the  powerful  chief  Guaybana, 
and  in  order  to  strengthen  this  bond,  he  mar- 
ried the  sister  of  the  chief.  His  example 
was  followed  by  many  other  Spaniards  in 
those  early  days,  since  there  were  few  Span- 
ish women  in  Porto  Rico  for  many  years 
after  this  event.  As  a result,  a new  race 
appeared,  ethnologic-ally  known  as  Mestizos, 
the  children  of  Spanish  men  and  Indian 
women. 

In  1513,  negro  slavery  was  authorized 
and  the  slaves  introduced  were  chiefly  males. 


Places  of  Historic  Interest 
El  Morro  at  San  Juan 
Ruins  of  Caparra 


Physical  and  Historical  Sketches  19 


As  the  Indians  were  practically  slaves  also, 
and  worked  side  by  side  with  the  negro,  an- 
other mixture  of  blood  took  place,  and  the 
Zarnbos,  the  children  of  negro  men  and  In- 
dian women,  appeared. 

When  the  negro  women  and  later  the 
white  women  came  to  the  Island,  a still 
further  admixture  took  place.  For  the  first 
three  hundred  years,  however,  there  seem 
to  have  been  comparatively  few  white 
women  on  the  Island. 

The  white  population  during  this  period 
consisted  of  government  officials  who  rarely 
brought  their  families  with  them,  the  gov- 
ernment troops,  convicts  who  had  served 
their  sentences  in  the  forts,  adventurers  and 
pirates  who  were  looking  for  wealth,  and 
the  merchants  who  controlled  the  commerce 
of  the  Island.  It  was  not  until  the  “Act  of 
Grace”  in  1815  brought  emigrants  and  their 
families  from  the  French  and  English  An- 
tilles, and  from  Santo  Domingo  and  Vene- 
zuela, that  there  began  to  be  a permanent 
white  element  in  the  population.  Since  that 
date  there  has  been  some  immigration,  but 
as  no  official  record  has  been  kept,  it  is  im- 
possible to  find  out  how  large  the  number 


Still 

Another 

Mixture 


The 

White 

Popula- 

tion 


20 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


White 

Popula- 

tion 


has  been.  The  following  statistics  show  that 
the  large  increase  of  population  both  by  im- 
migration and  natural  increase  has  been 
made  during  the  nineteenth  century.  They 
also  show  the  relative  percentages  of  white 
and  colored  persons,  according  to  their  own 
statements. 


Percentage 


Date 

Total  Pop. 

White 

Colored 

White  Colored 

1802 

163,192 

78,281 

84,911 

48 

52 

1812 

183,014 

85,662 

97,352 

46.8 

53.2 

1820 

230,622 

102,432 

128,190 

44.4 

55.6 

1827 

302,672 

150,311 

162,361 

49.7 

50.3 

1830 

323,838 

162,311 

161,527 

50.1 

49.9 

1836 

357,086 

188,869 

168,217 

52.9 

47.1 

1860 

583,308 

300,406 

282,775 

51.5 

48.5 

1877 

731,648 

411,712 

319,936 

56.3 

43.7 

1887 

798,565 

474,933 

323,632 

59.5 

40.5 

1897 

980,911  J?' 

573,187 

317,724 

64.3 

35.7 

1899 

953,243 

589,426 

363,817 

61.8 

38.2 

From  this  it  would  seem  that  the  white 
population  has  been  from  44.4  per  cent  to 
64.3  per  cent  of  the  whole  population  from 
the  year  1802  to  1899.  All  through  the  his- 
tory of  Porto  Rico  many  white  men  married 
or  brought  up  children  with  creole  or  even 
black  women.  The  color  line  has  been 


Physical  and  Historical  Sketches  21 

largely  disregarded.  It  is  only  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  many  persons  of  mixed 
blood  have  been  classed  as  “whites”  in  the 
census. 

This  view  is  reinforced  by  the  results  of 
an  investigation  into  the  white  population 
of  the  present  day.  The  census  of  1899 
gives  the  whites  61.8  per  cent  of  the  whole 
population,  yet  one  who  passes  through  the 
Island  and  notices  all  the  shades  from  white 
to  black,  knows  that  this  cannot  be  true. 
There  is  evidently  a minority  of  the  inhab- 
itants who  do  not  show  traces  of  negro  or 
Indian  blood.  In  an  investigation  which 
the  writer  made  in  San  Juan  in  the  present 
year,  1901,  of  a number  of  white  families 
considered  among  the  best  of  the  city,  it  was 
discovered  that  more  than  60  per  cent,  had 
colored  blood  in  their  veins,  yet  in  the  cen- 
sus all  were  counted  as  whites.  In  convers- 
ing with  prominent  men  who  are  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  people  in  all  parts  of  the 
Island,  they  have  given  estimates  of  the 
proportion  of  whites  which  range  from  25 
per  cent  to  40  per  cent.  The  census,  no 
doubt,  is  true  so  far  as  it  has  recorded  the 
answers  of  the  people,  but  it  must  be  re- 
membered that  a Porto  Rican  must  have 


22 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


strong  distinctive  marks  of  negro  ancestry 
before  he  is  willing  to  acknowledge  that  he 
is  not  white. 

We  believe  that  the  present  population  is 
very  largely  an  amalgamation  of  white, 
black  and  Indian  blood.  Mr.  Salvador 
Brau  seems  to  have  a like  opinion,  for  he 
states  in  his  book,  “Puerto  Rico  y su  Histo- 
ria,”  that  the  Porto  Ricans  of  to-day  have 
inherited  the  following  characteristics  from 
their  ancestors:  “Indolence,  taciturnity,  so- 
briety, disinterestedness  and  hospitality 
from  the  Indian;  physical  endurance,  sen- 
sualism and  fatalism  from  the  negro;  and 
love  of  display,  love  of  country,  independ- 
ence, devotion,  perseverance  and  chivalry 
from  the  Spaniard.” 

The  whites,  therefore,  of  Porto  Rico  must 
be  considered  in  an  entirely  different  sense 
from  European  and  North  American  whites. 
They  represent  a genus  of  their  own,  the 
Porto  Rican  whites. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Homes  of  the  People 

I.  DWELLINGS  OF  THE  POOR 

In  Porto  Rico,  as  in  the  United  States, 
there  are  great  differences  in  inodes  of  liv- 
ing, dependent  upon  the  place  of  the  home 
and  the  economic  condition  of  the  occu- 
pants. We  shall  discuss  the  homes  under 
two  heads:  the  homes  of  the  poor  and  the 
homes  of  the  higher  classes.  Among  the 
poor,  there  is  the  life  in  the  “patios”  of  the 
larger  cities,  in  the  shanties  of  the  suburbs, 
in  the  smaller  towns  and  villages,  at  the 
“ haciendas”  or  plantations,  and  in  the 
country. 

There  are  no  great  cities  on  the  Island, 
only  two,  San  Juan  and  Ponce,  having  a 
population  of  over  30,000,  and  neither  of 
these  exceeds  45,000.  In  the  minds  of  the 
Islanders,  however,  San  Juan  is  a great 
metropolis,  and  they  speak  of  “La  Capital” 
in  much  the  same  way  as  Americans  refer  to 
New  York.  San  Juan  has  always  been  as  it 
is  now,  the  chief  commercial  port.  The  fre- 
quent attacks  upon  it  by  pirates  and  by  hos- 

33 


San  Juan 


24 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Narrow 

City 

Limits 


tile  powers  at  war  with  Spain  early  de- 
manded fortifications.  In  1533,  the  con- 
struction of  El  Morro  was  begun  in  order 
to  guard  the  entrance  into  the  harbor.  In 
1030  was  begun  the  wall  which  completely 
enclosed  the  city.  Early  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  the  construction  of  San  Cristobal 
was  begun  to  guard  the  city  on  the  landward 
side. 

The  islet  of  San  Juan  is  almost  three 
miles  long  and  one  half  mile  wide,  but  less 
than  one-third  of  this  area  lies  within  the 
city  walls.  This  has  compelled  the  inhab- 
itants to  live  in  crowded  quarters.  There 
are  probably  not  a dozen  detached  houses 
in  the  city.  The  buildings  are  all  con- 
structed of  brick  and  stone  covered  with 
plaster  or  cement.  On  the  principal  streets 
most  of  these  are  two  stories  high,  with  an 
occasional  three-story  house,  and  perhaps  a 
half  dozen  that  are  four  stories  high.  On 
the  less  important  streets,  the  one-story  type 
prevails.  The  whole  city  is  a solid  mass  of 
masonry.  There  are  no  vacant  lots  or 
breathing  places  and  no  back  yards.  The 
two  chief  plazas  or  squares  of  the  city  are 
the  Plaza  Baldorioty  at  the  center  of  the 


Dwellings  of  the  Poor 


>> 

|S> 

ST  ~ 

oq  rj- 


>> 

Qi/i 

•<  | 


The  Homes  of  the  People 


25 


city,  and  the  Plaza  Colon  on  the  eastern 
side,  adjoining  San  Cristobal.  These  are 
both  quite  small  and  are  cemented. 

To  give  an  idea  of  home  life  in  this  city, 

& J ’ A Typi- 

it  is  necessary  to  describe  a typical  two-  cai  House 
story  house.  On  the  second  floor,  the  large 
front  room,  usually  extending  the  full 
width  of  the  house,  is  the  parlor,  which  has 
the  only  outside  openings  of  the  building. 

These  are  called  windows,  but  in  reality 
they  are  double  doors  with  full-length  shut- 
ters. There  is  no  such  thing  as  glass  win- 
dows in  Porto  Rico,  except  a few  that  have 
been  introduced  by  Americans.  Adjoining 
the  parlor  are  one  or  two  bedchambers  and 
a dining-room  into  which  the  stairs  lead. 

The  width  of  the  house  from  the  dining- 
room to  the  kitchen  at  the  rear  is  about 
equally  divided  between  an  inner  court  or 
“patio”  and  bedrooms.  The  hallway  is  a 
corridor  outside  the  wall,  overlooking  the 
court,  and  is  either  entirely  open  on  this 
side  or  has  lattice  work  to  protect  it.  The 
kitchen  and  a small  room  leading  into  it  oc- 
cupy the  same  relative  position  at  the  rear 
of  the  court  as  the  dining-room  and  bed- 
rooms do  at  the  front  of  it.  As  there  are  no 
spaces  between  buildings,  the  rear  of  the 


26 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Life  in 
Patio 


house  touches  the  rear  of  the  one  adjoin- 
ing, and  thus  prevents  either  light  or  ven- 
tilation from  that  direction.  The  only  open- 
ings to  any  of  these  rooms  are  the  large 
double  doors  which  open  into  the  court. 
When  these  are  closed,  the  inmates  have 
neither  light  nor  ventilation,  except,  as  in 
some  cases,  a door  opens  into  the  adjoining 
room,  or  a little  pane  of  glass  has  been  built 
in  the  flat  roof  and  furnishes  a fewT  rays  of 
light. 

The  general  plan  of  a house  is  an  oblong 
from  thirty  to  forty  feet  wide  and  from  125 
to  150  feet  deep,  with  a court  about  one  half 
the  width  and  two  thirds  the  length  cut  out 
of  one  side. 

The  plan  of  the  lower  floor  is  similar  to 
that  of  the  upper  except  when  it  is  used  as 
stores.  Then  the  space  as  far  back  as  the 
court  or  “patio”  is  used  as  a store,  and  the 
rooms  opening  into  the  court  are  rented  to 
families.  In  these  “patios”  we  find  filth 
and  poverty  that  cannot  be  described.  Each 
of  the  small  dark  rooms,  with  no  opening 
except  a door,  and  that  admitting  only  the 
foul  air  of  an  overcrowded  and  dirty  court, 
is  the  home  of  a family  sometimes  number- 
ing a dozen  persons.  There  is  little  or  no 


The  Homes  of  the  People  27 

furniture  in  the  room.  Where  they  all  sleep 
is  a problem!  In  some  of  the  rooms  there 
is  a tier  of  berths  along  the  side,  but  in 
many  cases  the  children  sleep  on  the  bare 
floor,  disputing  this  space  with  rats,  roaches 
and  fleas.  There  is  no  need  for  a table,  be- 
cause they  have  no  regular  time  for  meals. 
They  eat  when  they  feel  like  it  if  they  are 
able  to  procure  food,  otherwise  they  go 
hungry.  Almost  any  hour  of  the  day  you 
can  see  adults  and  children  chewing  a piece 
of  dry  bread,  or  a stick  of  sugar  cane,  or 
eating  fruit  in  a more  or  less  advanced  state 
of  decay.  If  they  should  want  a fire  to 
warm  water  or  prepare  food,  they  buy  a few 
cents’  worth  of  charcoal,  put  it  into  one  of 
tbe  rectangular  oil  cans  that  have  become 
such  a universal  utility  article  throughout 
the  Island,  place  a kettle  upon  the  coals, 
and  the  kitchen  is  complete.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  state  that  these  improvised 
stoves  are  not  in  the  rooms,  but  in  the 
“patio.” 

A view  of  these  “patios”  gives  impressions 
that  cannot  be  forgotten.  An  inner  court 
perhaps  forty  or  fifty  feet  long  and  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet  wide;  several  lines  filled  with 
clothes  that  have  just  been  hung  up  to  dry 


28 


Do^n  in  Porto  Rico 


Suburban 

Shanties 


and  incidentally  to  limit  the  light  and  air 
of  the  enclosed  yard;  a number  of  dirty, 
naked  babies  of  all  ages  up  to  six  or  seven 
years;  lazy  men  sitting  against  the  side  of 
the  house,  asleep  or  talking  to  their  neigh- 
bors; women  with  but  a single  garment  on, 
and  that  very  filthy,  either  washing  or  cook- 
ing, or  sitting  on  the  ground,  and  like  the 
men  gossiping  and  smoking  some  cigar 
stumps  they  have  picked  up  in  the  streets; 
boys  and  girls  with  scarcely  enough  cloth- 
ing to  cover  their  nakedness  running  er- 
rands, quarreling  among  themselves,  and 
following  quickly  in  the  footsteps  of  their 
parents  in  helping  to  increase  the  popula- 
tion of  the  Island;  odors  of  all  kinds,  the 
garlic  and  onions  of  the  cook,  the  tobacco 
fumes  from  the  smokers,  the  fetid  atmos- 
phere caused  by  the  filth  strewed  about  on 
the  ground,  and  the  exhaustion  of  the  oxy- 
gen caused  by  the  many  inhabitants,  are 
merely  suggestions  of  the  unsanitary  condi- 
tion of  the  homes,  of  the  squalor,  filth  and 
abject  poverty  of  the  thousands  who  live  in 
the  “patios”  of  the  city. 

We  pass  from  the  city  to  the  suburbs. 
Near  San  Juan  there  is  a stretch  of  marshy 
land  facing  the  bay.  Here  are  built  several 


The  Homes  of  the  People  29 

large  villages  composed  entirely  of  shanties 
placed  close  to  each  other.  The  frame  work 
of  these  dwellings  is  square  timber  when  it 
can  be  obtained,  but  more  often  poles  an- 
swer the  purpose.  The  siding  is  varied  ac- 
cording to  the  ability  of  the  owner  to  secure 
materials.  Occasionally  it  is  all  made  of 
new  lumber.  Oftener  it  is  made  up  of  old 
boards  that  have  been  picked  up,  store  boxes 
that  have  been  taken  apart,  tin  cans  that 
have  been  straightened  out,  advertising 
signs  of  either  tin  or  wood,  and,  in  many 
cases,  the  bark  of  the  palm  tree  or  the  leaves 
of  the  sugar  cane  are  used.  For  a roof,  dis- 
carded pieces  of  corrugated  iron  or  tin  or 
boards  are  made  to  do  service,  but  fre- 
quently thatch  is  used.  When  the  ground  is 
marshy,  the  buildings  are  elevated  on  posts 
and  a floor  is  built  as  rapidly  as  boards 
enough  can  be  secured  for  that  purpose. 

These  shanties  have  usually  one  or  two 
rooms.  When  there  are  two,  the  partition 
is  very  often  made  of  canvas  or  some  other 
cheap  material.  In  the  front  room,  the 
chief  article  of  furniture  is  a hammock,  in 
which  the  man  of  the  house  spends  much  of 
his  time.  Children  abound,  and  the  little 
naked  youngsters  are  everywhere  in  evi- 


30 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


dence.  The  kitchen  is  the  same  open-air- 
charcoal-oil-can  arrangement  that  has  been 
previously  noted.  Many  of  the  women  earn 
money  by  washing  for  persons  in  the  city, 
and  almost  any  hour  of  the  day  they  can  be 
seen  going  to  and  from  the  city  with  their 
bundle  of  clothes  carefully  poised  on  the 
head. 

Life  in  the  shanties  is  in  some  respects 
an  improvement  over  that  in  the  “patio.” 
Here  they  have  at  least  the  fresh  air  from 
the  sea.  This  is  indicated  by  the  very  sug- 
gestive name  of  one  village,  “The  North 
Pole.”  On  the  other  hand,  they  live  in 
these  marshes,  where  there  is  no  drainage 
and  no  sewers.  All  the  filth  and  excrements 
mingle  with  the  marshy  soil  which  sends 
forth  its  poisonous  gases  to  be  inhaled  by 
the  people.  The  name  of  another  of  these 
villages,  “Venice,”  gives  a strong  sugges- 
tion of  its  watery  surroundings. 

The  conditions  that  obtain  among  the 
poor  of  the  “patios,”  and  of  these  conglom- 
erate shanties  of  the  marsh,  are  more  local 
than  general  in  their  character,  and  are 
found  chiefly  in  San  Juan  and  vicinity. 
Our  further  description  of  the  homes  will 


The  Homes  of  the  People 


31 


apply  almost  equally  well  to  all  the  other 
towns  and  villages  of  the  Island. 

The  general  plan  of  the  Porto  Rican  town  vm. 
is  a central  plaza,  facing  which  the  Catholic  Life 
Church  is  the  most  imposing  structure. 

The  public  buildings,  if  there  are  any,  are 
on  this  square,  and  the  chief  stores  and 
hotels  are  here  also.  Away  from  the  plaza 
and  its  immediate  vicinity,  nearly  all  the 
houses  are  detached.  While  in  every  town 
there  are  many  comfortable  and  a few 
elegant  houses,  the  great  majority  are  cheap, 
little  cottages  and  tumble-down  shacks.  In 
many  of  the  villages,  the  Catholic  Church 
is  the  only  substantial  building  to  be  seen, 
the  rest  being  little  wooden  structures  or 
thatched  cottages.  These  houses  are  built 
in  very  much  the  same  way  as  those  de- 
scribed before.  The  materials  used  are  sel- 
dom new,  and  the  completed  dwelling,  with 
its  leaky  roof,  uneven  floor  and  scanty  fur- 
niture, is  far  from  attractive  or  comfort- 
able. It  would  seem,  however,  that  life 
among  the  poor  of  the  smaller  towns  and 
villages  is  not  attended  by  so  many  disad- 
vantages and  distressing  conditions  as  are 
found  among  those  of  the  larger  cities. 


3l> 


Dowii  in  Porto  Rico 


Life  on 
the  Plan- 
tations 


Rural 

Shacks 


At  a few  of  the  large  plantations,  the  lot 
of  the  poor  is  hard.  They  are  not  much 
better  than  slaves.  The  owner  or  some  of 
his  friends  or  relatives  keep  a store  where 
prices  are  high  and  quality  poor,  but  by 
force  of  circumstances  the  employee  must 
buy  his  goods  there.  He  is  usually  in  debt, 
and  the  employer’s  coupons  are  good  only 
at  the  store.  For  this  reason,  he  is  unable 
to  release  himself  from  his  bondage.  At 
some  of  these  estates,  the  people  are  herded 
together  like  cattle.  A long,  narrow,  shed- 
like building  is  constructed,  divided  into 
small  rooms,  each  of  which  is  rented  to  a 
family.  These  people  are  perhaps  among 
the  most  unhappy  of  the  Island,  for  while 
their  poverty  may  not  be  so  severe,  they  feel 
themselves  in  the  hands  of  a master. 

The  homes  of  the  poor  peasants  are  much 
the  same  all  through  the  country.  The 
houses  are  built  of  poles  for  the  frame,  palm 
bark  or  leaves  of  the  sugar  cane  for  the 
sides,  and  the  roof  made  of  thatch  from  the 
sugar  cane.  Sometimes  they  rest  upon 
posts  two  or  three  feet  from  the  ground,  but 
often  are  built  upon  the  ground  so  that  no 
floor  other  than  the  earth  is  needed.  This 
usually  contains  but  one  or  two  rooms — a 


The  Homes  of  the  People  33 

bedroom  and  a sitting-room.  In  the  sitting- 
room  is  the  ever  popular  hammock.  Fre- 
quently a box  or  two  does  duty  as  chairs, 
but  usually  when  the  inmates  want  to  sit 
down,  they  use  the  floor.  The  bedroom 
sometimes  contains  a platform  which  serves 
as  a bed  for  the  whole  family. 

The  peasant  and  his  family  live  out  of 
doors  most  of  the  time,  and  while  they  are 
extremely  poor,  they  do  not  suffer  much 
from  actual  hunger.  The  constant  vege- 
table diet,  however,  has  the  effect  of  weaken- 
ing the  system  and  causing  much  ill-health. 
The  annual  expense  for  clothing  the  family 
is  very  light.  The  children  need  absolutely 
nothing  till  they  are  seven  or  eight  years 
old.  None  of  the  family  wear  shoes.  They 
make  their  own  hats,  and  all  that  needs  to 
be  bought  is  a little  cotton  cloth  to  cover 
the  nakedness  of  the  older  members  of  the 
family. 

This,  in  brief,  is  a description  of  the 
homes  of  the  poorer  classes  of  Porto  Eic-ans, 
as  seen  in  city,  suburb,  plantation,  village 
and  country.  And  in  these  homes  are  found 
about  three  fourths  of  the  entire  population 
of  the  Island. 


34 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


The  Parlor 


II.  Houses  of  the  Higher  Classes 

In  San  Jnan  few  of  the  houses  are  de- 
tached. The  front  walls  come  out  flush  with 
the  sidewalk  and  form  a continuous  wall 
from  street  to  street.  On  the  second  floor 
a narrow  balcony  is  built  out  over  the  side- 
walk, which  is  rarely  ever  more  than  four 
feet  wide.  On  the  first  floor  the  lower  part 
of  the  windows,  which  extend  to  the  floor, 
have  an  iron  railing  to  protect  the  parlor 
from  the  street.  The  whole  room,  however, 
is  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  the  passers-by 
when  the  shutters  are  open,  which  is  of  ne- 
cessity most  of  the  time,  to  admit  light  and 
air. 

The  higher  class  people  occupy  the  second 
floors,  and  in  some  cases,  they  are  found  on 
the  first  floor,  but  this  is  not  the  rule.  En- 
tering one  of  these  homes,  we  find  that  the 
material  used  for  flooring  is  usually  tiling 
for  the  parlor,  dining-room  and  kitchen, 
wood  for  the  bedrooms,  and  cement  or  tiling 
for  the  halls. 

The  parlor  is  the  chief  room  of  the  house. 
This  is  used  quite  generally  as  the  living- 
room  of  the  family,  and  most  of  the  furni- 
ture of  the  house  is  found  here.  Portieres 
commonly  hang  before  each  door  and  win- 


Residences  of  the  Higher  Class 
Interior  of  a San  Juan  Home 
A Suburban  House 


The  Homes  of  the  People 


35 


dow  of  the  parlor.  There  seems  to  be  a uni- 
form mode  of  arrangement  of  parlor  furni- 
ture in  all  these  homes.  A center  table  with 
a marble  top  is  found  in  the  middle  of  the 
room.  On  either  side  of  this  table,  and 
facing  it,  are  several  large  armchairs  and 
rocking  chairs.  Close  against  the  four  sides 
of  the  room,  the  small  chairs  and  the  sofa 
are  placed.  All  these  have  cane  backs  and 
bottoms.  The  furniture  is  either  carved  ma- 
hogany, which  has  been  brought  from  Spain, 
or  a style  of  bent  wood  painted  black,  which 
has  been  imported  from  Austria,  or  the 
cheaper  woods  which  are  also  painted  black, 
this  being  the  popular  color  for  furniture. 
Sometimes  there  are  corner  pieces,  and  also 
large  mirrors  in  finely  wrought  frames,  or 
little  carved  tables  with  marble  tops  made 
to  set  against  the  wall.  The  whole  arrange- 
ment is  in  lines  running  parallel  or  at  right 
angles  to  each  other.  The  large  number  of 
chairs,  and  the  stiff  conventional  manner  of 
arranging  them,  are  the  most  striking  fea- 
tures of  a Porto  Rican  parlor. 

The  ample  dining-room  contains  the  table, 
the  chairs,  and  a large  sideboard  to  hold  the 
numerous  dishes  used  at  dinner  time.  The 


The  Dining 

Boom 


The  Bed 
Booms 


3G  Down  in  Porto  Rico 

different  meals  are  about  the  same  as  on  the 
continent  of  Europe.  Bread  and  coffee  in 
the  morning,  meat  breakfast  between  eleven 
and  twelve,  and  dinner  about  six  or  seven  in 
the  evening.  Dinner  is  the  one  full  meal  of 
the  day.  It  has  quite  an  elaborate  menu 
which  is  served  in  courses.  Soup,  fritters, 
two  or  three  kinds  of  meat,  rice,  red  beans, 
salads,  dessert,  fruit,  coffee  and  wine  is  an 
average  dinner.  There  is  no  fixed  order  in 
the  serving  of  the  courses  so  that  one  is  not 
sure  what  article  of  food  comes  next.  Most 
of  the  food  is  quite  greasy  and  is  strongly 
flavored  with  onions  and  garlic.  There  is  a 
marked  sameness  in  the  bill  of  fare  week 
after  week.  The  food  seems  to  be  wholesome 
and  indigestion  is  not  a common  complaint. 
At  the  close  of  the  meal,  the  male  members 
of  the  family  light  their  cigarettes  or  cigars, 
while  all  remain  around  the  table  and  join 
in  conversation.  The  use  of  tobacco,  which 
is  quite  general  among  the  poorer  classes  of 
women,  is  not  indulged  in  to  any  great  ex- 
tent by  those  of  the  better  classes. 

Passing  from  the  dining-room  to  the  bed- 
rooms, we  find  in  each  of  them  a high  iron 
bedstead  with  a mosquito  netting  across  the 


The  Homes  of  the  People  87 

top.  This  is  tucked  up  through  the  day  and 
let  down  at  night.  The  coverings  of  the  bed 
are  the  sheets  and  a counterpane.  The 
sleeper  rests  either  upon  a canvas  stretched 
across  the  bedstead,  or  upon  a wire  mattress 
with  a covering  not  sufficiently  thick  to  pre- 
vent the  wires  from  leaving  an  impression 
upon  the  body.  Carpets  are  practically  un- 
known in  Porto  Rico,  but  a small  rug  usu- 
ally lies  in  front  of  the  bed.  There  is  a 
mahogany  wardrobe,  which  takes  the  place 
of  closets,  which  are  not  used  here,  and  a 
dresser,  which  adds  much  to  the  appearance 
and  comfort  of  the  room.  There  is  also  a 
small  table  upon  which  rests  some  religious 
emblem,  as  the  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary 
or  the  crucifix.  The  only  means  of  venti- 
lation in  these  rooms  is  the  door,  and  this  is 
frequently  kept  closed  during  the  night  for 
the  Porto  Rican  is  afraid  of  a draught,  and 
especially  so  of  the  night  air. 

In  the  kitchen,  the  most  interesting  fea- 
ture is  the  great  tile  construction  which  ex- 
tends across  the  side  of  the  room  and  is 
used  for  cooking  purposes.  It  is  about  three 
feet  high,  and  two  or  three  feet  wide.  In  the 
top  of  it  are  a number  of  square  holes  into 
which  gratings  fit  to  hold  the  charcoal  used 


The  Kitohen 


The  Bath 
Boom 


Homes  Out- 
side of  the 
City 


38 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


in  cooking.  The  number  of  these  holes 
makes  it  possible  for  the  cook  to  prepare 
several  dishes  at  the  same  time.  Extending 
over  the  entire  range,  in  the  form  of  an  in- 
verted funnel  divided  perpendicularly,  is  the 
large  flue  or  chimney  to  conduct  the  heat  of 
the  fire  and  the  odors  from  the  cooking 
food  to  the  air  above. 

The  bath  and  toilet  rooms  are  modern 
innovations  that  have  come  with  the  water 
works  and  sewers.  The  use  of  them  is  still 
comparatively  limited,  and  there  is  much 
room  for  improvement  in  this  direction.  The 
old  bath  tubs  were  made  after  the  Roman 
style.  Huge  vessels  built  of  brick,  cemented 
inside  and  covered  with  tile  on  the  outside, 
or  in  some  cases  they  were  hewn  out  of 
marble.  The  modern  porcelain  tub  is  the 
one  now  being  installed. 


The  homes  of  the  well-to-do  classes  in  the 
small  towns  and  in  the  country  are  similar 
to  the  one  just  described,  in  their  furnish- 
ings and  the  arrangement  of  them.  They 
differ  largely,  however,  in  the  construction 
and  general  appearance  of  the  houses.  Some 
are  built  of  brick  and  cemented  outside  and 
inside,  but  more  are  wooden  structures  with 
light  board  partitions  between  the  rooms, 


The  Homes  of  the  People  39 

and  all  the  walls  painted.  In  the  case  of  the 
brick  buildings,  the  more  important  par- 
titions are  built  of  brick,  and  the  others  are 
of  plaster.  All  of  these  partitions  are  given 
a lime  wash.  Wall  paper  is  little  used. 

The  houses  are  one  or  two  stories  high,  a 
balcony  in  front  which  is  sometimes  built 
around  the  side,  large  window  openings  ex- 
tending to  the  floor  and  closed  by  double 
shutters.  There  are  no  glass  windows. 
Sometimes  a pane  of  glass  is  found  built  in 
the  roof,  or  placed  at  the  top  of  a shutter, 
or  over  a door,  but  such  cases  are  rare. 

Where  there  is  room,  the  yard  in  front  of 
the  house  is  divided  into  flower  beds  in 
which  grow  large  tropical  bushes  which 
either  by  their  variegated  foliage  or  the 
abundance  of  their  flowers,  give  a most 
pleasing  effect  to  the  appearance  of  the 
home.  While  there  are  quite  a number  of 
these  houses  scattered  throughout  the  Is- 
land, they  are  remarkably  few  for  so  large 
a population.  Perhaps  the  principal  reason 
why  there  are  so  few  elegant  residences  is 
the  fact  that  most  of  the  wealth  has  always 
been  in  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards,  and  they 
have  regarded  Porto  Iiico  as  a place  to  make 
money  and  afterward  to  spend  it  in  Spain. 


40 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


The  few  Porto  Ricans  who  became  wealthy 
also  thought  of  Spain  or  France  as  a place 
to  seek  pleasure  rather  than  to  spend  their 
money  in  beautifying  their  homes  on  the 
Island.  Thus  the  money  secured  here  has 
been  spent  largely  in  Europe,  while  Porto 
Rico  has  been  regarded  as  a place  for  tempo- 
rary residence. 


CHAPTER  III 

Characteristics  and  Customs 

I.  PHYSICAL  CHARACTERISTICS 

The  modern  Porto  Ricans  are  short  in 
stature,  slender  in  figure,  graceful  in  mo- 
tion, animated  in  conversation,  quick  in 
action,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  pure 
whites  and  the  pure  blacks,  they  are  brown- 
skinned, due  to  the  mixture  of  white,  negro 
and  Indian  blood. 

The  color  of  the  hai**  is  black,  and  varies 
from  straight  to  kinky,  according  to  the 
amount  of  negro  blood  in  the  veins. 

The  teeth  are  exceedingly  poor.  Whether 
this  is  due  to  the  chewing  of  cane,  the  acids 
of  the  fruits,  the  eating  of  sweets,  the  exces- 
sive use  of  tobacco,  the  results  of  immorality 
or  the  inheritance  of  generations  of  ances- 
tors likewise  affected,  cannot  be  definitely 
stated.  The  lack  of  good  teeth  is  almost 
universal.  Among  the  higher  classes,  this 
defect  is  remedied  to  some  extent  by  the 
skill  of  the  dentist,  but  large  numbers  of  the 
people  have  the  front  teeth  out,  or  a stray 
tooth  perhaps  left,  or  several  incisors  or 

41 


Character- 

istics 


42 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Lack  of 

Nourishing 

Food 


Physical 

Disability 


canines  in  a bad  state  of  decay.  The  ab- 
sence of  front  teeth  or  the  poor  condition 
of  the  ones  remaining  is  the  most  disfigur- 
ing feature  of  the  average  Porto  Rican. 

Being  small  in  body,  neither  men  nor 
women  have  much  muscular  strength,  but 
when  they  are  so  inclined,  or  when  occasion 
demands  it,  they  have  considerable  power 
of  endurance.  The  lack  of  nourishing  food 
is  largely  responsible  for  this  weakened  con- 
dition of  the  body.  The  peasant  lives  on 
rice  and  salt  fish  chiefly  and  rarely  tastes 
fresh  meat  of  any  kind.  In  thousands  of 
cases  the  only  time  he  has  fresh  meat,  is  at 
Christmas  when  he  roasts  the  little  razor- 
backed  pig  that  has  been  raised  for  this 
occasion.  Add  to  this  fact  the  unsanitary 
condition  of  living,  and  it  can  be  readily 
understood  why  the  country  people  have  so 
much  sickness  among  them. 

In  an  article  on  anaemia,  written  in  the 
spring  of  1904,  Dr.  Stahl,  a well-known 
Porto  Rican  physician,  makes  this  state- 
ment : 

“Out  of  the  million  inhabitants  of  Porto 
Rico,  it  is  calculated  that  at  least  three 
fourths  live  in  the  country  and  that  more 
than  95  per  cent,  of  these  are  sick  with  Un- 


A Porto  Rican  Family 


Characteristics  and  Customs  43 


cinariasis.  Out  of  the  remaining  250,000 
found  in  the  cities  and  larger  towns  nearly 
half  that  number,  constituting  the  poor  of 
the  suburbs  and  by-streets,  also  suffer  from 
this  disease.  In  short,  more  than  800,000 
inhabitants  of  Porto  Rico  are  suffering  from 
so  terrible  a plague,  and  its  consequences 
are  more  or  less  manifest  and  disastrous. 

“In  the  country  districts,  I except  only  the 
children  at  the  breast;  among  the  adults 
we  can  hardly  find  one  free  from  infection. 
In  the  colored  man,  the  deeper  his  color  the 
less  exposed  is  he  to  contract  the  infection 
and  the  infection  does  not  attack  his  organ- 
ism with  such  intensity  as  it  does  with  the 
white  man. 

“Let  us  admit  that  of  the  800,000  infected, 
half  are  light  cases  for  some  reason  or  other ; 
there  are  left  400,000  anaemics  that  cannot 
conscientiously  be  considered  light  cases. 
Of  these,  one  half,  200,000  are  included  in 
that  circle  in  which  100,000  can  be  con- 
sidered grave  cases  and  50,000  very  grave, 
really  helplessly  ill,  incapacitated  from  all 
kind  of  physical  and  mental  labor.  These 
not  being  able  to  work  and  earn  their  bread, 
and  their  near  relatives  lacking  the  means 
of  sustaining  them,  dedicate  themselves  to 


44 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Diseases 


begging,  and  at  times  even  this  work  is  too 
great  for  their  strength  and  they  die  worn 
out  by  their  disease  and  their  hunger.” 

The  government  has  taken  this  matter 
in  hand  and  is  making  an  investigation  of 
the  conditions  that  exist  here.  An  anaemic 
camp  was  established  at  Bayamon  and  later 
removed  to  Utuado.  Dr.  Ashford  of  the 
United  States  Navy  has  charge  of  this  camp, 
and  the  results  of  this  investigation  are  not 
yet  known.  While  visiting  Utuado  in  July 
of  1904,  I learned  that  about  four  thousand 
patients  were  being  treated  weekly.  With 
the  introduction  of  sanitary  measures,  the 
knowledge  of  how  to  cure  the  prevalent  dis- 
eases, the  teaching  of  physiology  and  hy- 
giene in  the  public  schools,  there  will  un- 
doubtedly follow’  a better  state  of  health. 

Another  cause  of  physical  debility  is 
found  in  the  widespread  immorality  of  the 
people.  Veneral  diseases  are  exceedingly 
common. 

A physician  of  San  Juan  told  me  that  in 
his  large  practice,  he  was  surprised  to  dis- 
cover how7  many  persons  w’ere  suffering  as  a 
result  of  either  their  own  or  their  parents’ 
immoral  acts.  This  is  seen  in  the  many 
forms  of  skin  diseases  that  are  so  prevalent 


Characteristics  and  Customs  45 


here.  The  faces  of  many  are  marred  by 
eruptions  and  irritations  that  point  to  an- 
cestral excesses.  We  refer  to  this  phase  of 
life  at  this  point  because  of  its  physical  re- 
sults; in  a later  chapter,  we  shall  deal  more 
fully  with  the  question  in  considering  moral 
conditions. 

Another  cause  that  acts  disastrously  upon  Rum  and 
the  physical  life  of  the  Porto  Rican  is  the  Tobacco 
constant  and  almost  universal  use  of  rum 
and  tobacco.  The  boys,  and  sometimes  the 
girls,  learn  to  use  tobacco  at  an  early  age. 

As  tobacco  is  grown  here  and  is  easily  pro- 
cured, the  use  of  it  is  quite  general  among 
the  men  and  boys  of  all  classes,  and  among 
the  women  of  the  lower  classes.  This  has 
the  effect  of  impeding  the  growth  and  pre- 
venting a full  physical  development.  The 
use  of  rum  is  widespread  also.  While  com- 
paratively few  drink  to  the  point  of  intoxi- 
cation, there  is  a constant  tippling  that  is 
injurious  to  the  system.  Many  times  it  is 
used  to  destroy  the  pangs  of  hunger.  The 
poor  very  often  find  it  easier  to  get  a little 
tobacco  and  rum  than  to  secure  a good, 
nourishing  meal. 

We  would  ascribe,  therefore,  as  the  cause 


4G 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


of  much  of  the  physical  debility  that  is  so 
prevalent  among  the  Porto  Ricans,  to  lack 
of  proper  food,  unsanitary  modes  of  living, 
results  of  immorality,  and  the  widespread 
use  of  tobacco  and  rum. 

II.  Mental  Characteristics 

The  Porto  Ricans  being  chiefly  of  Spanish 
descent  or  having  been  closely  associated 
with  Spaniards,  have  many  of  the  general 
characteristics  of  the  Latin  race. 

They  are  impulsive,  excitable,  talkative, 
demonstrative.  On  the  streets,  in  the  stores, 
in  the  homes,  they  talk  in  loud  tones  accom- 
panied by  many  varied  and  suggestive  ges- 
ticulations. The  movements  of  the  hands 
and  arms,  the  expression  of  the  countenance, 
the  positions  of  the  body,  the  inimitable 
shrug  of  the  shoulders,  enable  the  listener 
to  understand  much  of  the  conversation 
without  hearing  a word.  With  their  natur- 
ally excitable  nature,  it  is  almost  impossible 
for  them  to  wait  until  one  person  finishes 
speaking,  but  several,  and  sometimes  the 
whole  company,  are  talking  at  once. 

In  the  plazas  where  they  gather  in  groups 
of  two  or  more,  instead  of  a quiet  friendly 
conversation,  you  soon  hear  every  group 


Disposal  of  the  Dead 
A Funeral  Procession 
Bone  Heap  in  San  Juan  Cemetery. 


Characteristics  and  Customs  47 


talking  in  high  and  loud  tones,  so  that  the 
plaza  usually  sounds  like  a school  yard 
where  the  children  have  just  been  given  a 
recess.  The  habit  of  giving  immediate  ex- 
pression to  their  thoughts  has  become  so 
fixed  that  frequently  one  hears  persons  as 
they  walk  along  the  streets  talking  aloud  to 
themselves. 

In  public  speech,  the  orator  is  usually 
verbose.  The  Spanish  language  is  rich  in 
adjectives,  and  there  are  a number  of  ways 
in  which  the  speaker  can  express  the  same 
thought  in  different  words,  most  of  which 
he  feels  obliged  to  use.  Thus  an  orator  is 
enabled  to  pronounce  a great  many  words  in 
an  address  without  the  necessity  of  furnish- 
ing many  ideas. 

The  Porto  Rican  is  extremely  fond  of  the 
spectacular.  This  is  manifested  in  the 
gaudy  wearing-apparel  of  all  classes,  in  the 
decorations  and  processions  of  the  religious 
feasts,  and  in  the  carnival,  which  lasts  about 
ten  days. 

As  a people,  they  are  pleasure-loving, 
light-hearted,  without  care,  and  without 
any  adequate  idea  of  responsibility.  This 
perhaps  is  due  in  large  measure  to  their 
training.  During  Spanish  rule,  government 


Verbose 


Fond  of 
Spectacular 


Pleasure 

Loving 


48 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Self  Confident 


positions  and  almost  all  the  commerce  of 
the  Island  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Span- 
iards. The  Porto  Rican  had  no  need  of  de- 
veloping either  powers  for  governing  or  for 
looking  after  important  interests.  All  that 
was  expected  of  him  was  to  be  obedient  and 
respectful.  Thus  by  generations  of  training, 
they  have  become  as  light-hearted  and  irre- 
sponsible as  a set  of  children. 

Notwithstanding  this  simplicity  of  mind, 
the  Porto  Rican  has  a sublime  confidence 
in  himself.  He  thinks  he  can  do  things  as 
well  as  any  man  living.  Ask  a carpenter  if 
he  can  do  a certain  piece  of  work  for  you, 
and  he  is  ready  to  begin  without  even  wait- 
ing for  your  description;  a young  man  or 
a young  woman  with  scarcely  an  elementary 
education  wants  a certificate  to  teach.  A 
native  preacher  can  be  called  upon  to  preach 
a sermon  without  a moment’s  notification. 
The  newly-fledged  politicians  want  either 
independence  or  statehood  at  once — they 
know  more  about  government  than  any  of 
the  United  States  officials.  It  makes  no 
difference  what  class  you  approach,  you 
find  this  same  satisfaction  and  confidence 
in  their  own  ability. 

It  need  hardly  be  added  that  results  do 


Characteristics  and  Customs  49 


not  measure  up  to  their  high  professions. 
Workmen  as  a rule  perform  their  tasks  in 
a most  slipshod,  careless  manner.  The  car- 
penter mutilates  the  wood,  the  painter 
splashes  paint  over  everything  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  his  brush,  the  butcher  tears  and 
slashes  the  meat  without  regard  to  order, 
the  coachman  ties  his  harness  up  with  ropes, 
the  house-servant  requires  the  constant  pres- 
ence of  the  mistress  of  the  house  to  prevent 
covering  up,  instead  of  cleaning  out  the 
dust,  the  teacher  and  preacher  are  prone  to 
draw  upon  their  imaginations  more  than 
upon  definite  information,  and  the  politi- 
cian, if  he  cannot  have  his  way,  either  re- 
signs his  position  or  sulks,  refusing  to  take 
any  part  in  the  deliberations  of  the  body  of 
which  he  is  a member. 

The  Porto  Rican  is  by  nature  and  training 
of  an.  uncompromising  temperament.  This 
is  especially  manifest  in  his  politics.  There 
are  numerous  fights  and  riots  during  polit- 
ical campaigns  and  at  election  times.  Al- 
though peaceable  by  nature,  he  cannot  toler- 
ate an  opinion  differing  from  his  own,  and 
blood  flows  freely  in  the  pre-election  con- 
tests. They  have  not  yet  learned  to  submit 
gracefully  to  majority  rule. 


Uncompro- 

mising 


50 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Apt  Scholars 


Musically 

Inclined 


Under  proper  instruction,  it  lias  been 
shown  that  the  Porto  Ricans  are  apt  schol- 
ars. The  carpenter  soon  learns  to  do  his 
work  with  precision  and  skill.  Order  and 
neatness  rapidly  take  the  place  of  disorder 
and  carelessness.  If  the  people  could  only 
be  brought  to  see  their  need  of  instruction 
instead  of  having  such  a high  estimate  of 
their  own  abilities,  progress  would  be  made 
much  more  rapidly. 

The  people  of  the  Island  seem  to  be  fond 
of  music,  but  their  ideas  of  it  are  most  primi- 
tive. The  common  people  have  a gourdlike 
instrument  with  a number  of  horizontal  in- 
dentures over  which  they  draw  a stick  rap- 
idly. This  is  called  the  “juiro”  (pronounced 
“weero”  or  “witcherow” ) , and  is  used  to 
accompany  the  guitar,  tambourine  or  violin. 

( The  piano  is  used  to  a limited  extent  among 
the  better  classes,  but  their  use  is  not  such 
as  to  arouse  the  enthusiasm  of  a musician. 
^The  instruments  are  chiefly  of  inferior 
make,  and  owing  to  the  climatic  conditions, 
the  wires  become  rusty,  and  the  tones  pro- 
duced are  decidedly  “tin-panny.”  These  are 
played  with  but  little  expression,  the  idea 
seemingly  being  to  make  as  loud  a sound  as 
possible.  Some  of  the  brass  bands  that  play 


Characteristics  and  Customs  51 


in  the  plazas  of  the  larger  towns  produce 
fairly  good  music,  but  others  of  them  are 
simply  nerve-racking.  Much  that  passes 
under  the  name  of  music  could  more  prop- 
erly be  called  noise,  but  where  Porto  Eicans 
have  had  opportunity  for  study  and  develop- 
ment, they  have  proved  that  musical  ability 
is  not  wanting  among  them.  In  singing, 
they  have  commendable  enthusiasm.  Their 
voices  are  often  shrill  and  harsh,  lacking 
sweetness  or  soul  power.  This  no  doubt  is 
due  largely  t<?  their  lack  of  training  and 
practice.  The  church  music  in  which  they 
took  part  was  limited  to  the  chants  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  Secular  songs  were  scarce 
and  only  the  rudest  kind  were  sung  by  any 
great  number  of  the  inhabitants.  Since  the 
introduction  of  gospel  hymns  by  the  Protes- 
tants, and  the  songs  of  the  public  schools, 
and  greater  facilities  for  the  study  of  music, 
there  has  been  a wonderful  improvement  in 
this  respect,  and  all  over  the  Island  one  can 
now  hear  the  cheerful  songs  learned  in 
school  and  church  and  from  special  in- 
structors. 

The  Porto  Eicans  have  not  yet  learned  the 
dignity  of  labor.  Their  ideas,  probably  de- 
rived from  the  Spaniards,  lead  them  to 


Labor  Not 
Dignified. 


52 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


disdain  the  appearance  of  work.  The  gentle- 
man and  the  lady  do  not  work  themselves — 
they  merely  direct  their  servants.  To  carry 
a package  on  the  street  is  indicative  of  either 
poverty  or  lack  of  breeding.  A family  must 
be  very  poor  if  they  cannot  afford  several 
servants.  To  do  any  kind  of  housework 
cannot  be  considered  by  the  lady  of  the 
house.  She  sits  in  the  parlor  dressed  in 
loose  garments  and  spends  much  of  the  day 
in  idly  rocking  to  and  fro  in  a rocking-chair. 
When  she  goes  out  shopping,  she  is  either 
accompanied  by  a servant  who  carries  her 
small  purchases,  or  she  hires  a boy  to  carry 
them  for  her.  If  she  is  so  poor  that  she 
must  do  some  kind  of  work,  this  fact  must 
be  carefully  concealed  from  her  neighbors. 
A woman  in  good  social  standing  is  not 
expected  to  do  any  work  that  can  be  done 
by  a servant. 

Among  the  men  there  is  the  same  con- 
tempt for  manual  labor.  The  merchants 
must  of  necessity  be  busy  men,  but  they  are 
very  careful  not  ffo  degrade  themselves  by 
doing  any  kind  of  common  labor.  They  ob- 
ject to  performing  work  that  can  be  done  by 
an  employee.  Business  men  do  not  carry 
bundles  home  at  night.  They  seldom  lend  a 


Some  Native  Types 
“Lavenderas”  or  Washerwomen 
Group  of  Colored  Children 


Characteristics  ami  Customs  53 


hand  when  some  little  mishap  occurs,  or 
when  repairs  are  needed.  They  are  gentle- 
men, and  menial  tasks  are  for  common  work- 
men. The  same  spirit  is  shown  among  the 
tradesmen.  When  a plumber  is  sent  for,  he 
usually  comes  accompanied  by  his  man. 
His  business  is  to  tell  the  man  what  to  do, 
while  he  himself  stands  by  and  watches  him. 
The  farmer  does  not  go  out  to  work  upon 
his  farm.  He  mounts  a horse  and  rides 
around  telling  his  laborers  wbat  work  must 
be  done.  Ask  a common  laborer  to  carry 
your  hand-baggage  to  the  boat  or  to  the 
station,  and  very  likely  he  will  come  at  the 
appointed  hour  with  a colored  boy  whom  he 
orders  to  take  up  the  load  and  carry  it  while 
he  himself  receives  the  money  and  walks 
by  the  side  of  the  boy.  From  the  highest 
to  the  lowest  classes  this  false  notion  con- 
cerning labor  is  found.  It  is  a heritage  of 
slavery  and  peonage  and  ought  to  have  no 
place  among  a democratic  people. 

The  Porto  Rican  is  an  inveterate  gambler. 
The  rich  planter  will  play  cards  until  he 
loses  the  profits  of  a whole  year  and  then 
will  sometimes  mortgage  his  land.  The  lei- 
sure hours  of  the  middle  class  are  given  up 
to  the  same  practice.  The  poor  will  throw 


The  Gamb- 
ling Habit 


54 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


dice  for  tlieir  Inst,  penny  and  will  then  go 
hungry.  The  cockfights  call  forth  the  high- 
est bets  within  reach  of  the  spectators. 
When  the  Catholic  Church  has  special  need 
for  money,  it  gets  up  some  sort  of  a raffle. 
Boys  apply  the  same  principle  in  selling 
their  wares.  They  go  through  the  streets 
with  sweetmeats  for  sale.  You  put  a penny 
in  the  machine,  turn  a wheel  and  get  as 
many  pieces  as  are  indicated  by  the  finger 
at  its  stopping  place.  Everywhere  the  spirit 
of  gambling  seems  to  have  taken  hold  of  the 
people  and  become  a part  of  their  life. 

III.  Customs 

There  are  many  customs  in  Porto  Rico 
that  seem  especially  queer  to  an  American 
because  he  finds  nothing  similar  to  them 
among  his  own  people.  To  a person  from 
another  Latin  country  these  differences  are 
not  so  great. 

The  forms  of  salutation  are  practically 
courtesies  the  same  as  those  used  in  other  Spanish 
countries,  but  it  sounds  strange  to  one  un- 
accustomed to  it  to  hear  a person  say 
“adios”  or  “goodbye”  when  he  greets  you  on 
the  street,  or  to  see  a man  sign  himself, 
“Your  true  servant  who  kisses  your  hand,” 


Characteristics  and  Customs 


55 


or,  if  written  to  a lady,  “Your  faithful  serv- 
ant who  kisses  your  feet.”  When  a gentle- 
man wishes  to  be  remembered  to  the  wife  of 
his  friend,  he  says  to  him,  “Place  me  at  the 
feet  of  your  wife.”  When  a gentleman  is 
introduced  to  another,  he  repeats  his  own 
name  and  adds,  “at  your  orders,”  and  be- 
fore parting  he  places  his  house  at  your 
disposal.  These  extravagant  expressions 
have  no  significance  other  than  that  of 
formal  courtesy. 

The  manner  of  disposing  of  the  dead  is 
shocking  to  an  American.  Bodies  were 
allowed  to  rest  in  vaults  or  in  graves  only 
so  long  as  the  rent  was  paid.  When  this 
was  neglected,  the  skeleton,  or  what  re- 
mained of  the  body,  was  thrown  into  the 
bone  vault,  which  is  a cistern-like  hole,  open 
at  the  top  and  exposed  to  the  weather.  This 
practice  was  forbidden  during  the  military 
government  of  the  United  States,  and  has 
not  been  permitted  since.  The  burial  of  a 
poor  person  is  a pitiful  sight  to  witness. 
The  bod}7  is  laid  in  a rough,  unplaned  box, 
without  a lid  or  any  kind  of  a covering.  A 
strip  of  wood  is  nailed  on  each  side  and 
allowed  to  project  a couple  of  feet  at  each 
end  for  convenience  in  carrying  it.  Four 


Burial  of  the 
Bead 


56 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


A Strange 
Custom 


men  raise  the  box  to  their  shoulders,  and, 
walking  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  make 
their  way  to  the  cemetery.  Women  are  not 
allowed  by  custom  to  accompany  the  body 
to  the  grave.  Sometimes  a few  boys  and 
men  follow,  at  other  times  not  a person  is 
seen  except  those  carrying  the  body.  When 
the  grave  is  reached  the  corpse  is  lifted  out 
of  the  box,  and  with  more  or  less  considera- 
tion, lowered  into  a shallow  grave  and  cov- 
ered up  by  shovelling  in  the  earth  upon  the 
unprotected  body,  or  upon  a few  branches  of 
trees  that  have  been  placed  upon  it. 

An  American  lady  told  me  of  an  occur- 
rence witnessed  by  herself  in  a cemetery. 
She  saw  some  men  bring  in  the  body  of  a 
child  in  one  of  these  open  boxes,  and  they 
did  not  even  take  the  trouble  to  lift  the  little 
body  out  of  the  box,  but  dumped  it  into  the 
grave  as  if  it  were  nothing  but  a clod.  A 
recent  law  forbids  the  use  of  these  open 
boxes,  but  they  are  still  used  in  many  parts 
of  the  Island. 

They  have  a queer  custom  here  in  regard 
to  a child  that  is  still-born.  Instead  of 
mourning  over  it,  they  have  a feast  in  honor 
of  the  occasion.  They  claim  that  as  the 
little  one  never  committed  any  sin,  its  com- 


Characteristics  and  Customs  57 


ing  is  in  reality  an  angel’s  visit  to  the  home. 

The  festivities  of  the  occasion  resemble 
somewhat  the  accepted  idea  of  an  Irish 
“wake.”  Eating,  drinking,  music  and  danc- 
ing occupy  the  attention  of  the  friends  dur- 
ing the  hours  of  the  night. 

One  is  amused  in  seeing  persons  carrying 
open  umbrellas  on  bright  moonlight  nights.  Fear  of 
This  has  given  rise  to  the  report  that  the  Night  Air 
natives  are  afraid  of  the  moonbeams  and 
take  this  method  of  protecting  themselves. 

The  real  object,  however,  seems  to  be  protec- 
tion from  the  falling  dew.  Not  only  is  the 
Porto  Rican  afraid  of  the  night  dew,  but  he 
is  superstitious  about  the  night  air.  Upon 
retiring  to  his  bedroom,  he  closes  all  open- 
ings and  practically  seals  himself  in  until 
morning.  This  custom  undoubtedly  contri- 
butes to  the  diseases  of  the  lungs  which  are 
quite  prevalent. 

Wherever  it  is  practicable,  the  washer- 
women carry  their  clothes  to  a stream  in- 
stead of  carrying  water  to  their  homes.  swasher- 
They  congregate  at  some  point  where  they  woman 
sit  on  the  stones  and  pound  the  clothes  upon 
them.  The  tropical  sun  beats  down  upon 
these  women  as  bareheaded,  barefooted,  and 
barelegged  they  perform  their  tasks,  but 


58 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


A Barefooted 
People 


they  seem  not  to  be  disturbed  by  it.  At  the 
close  of  the  day,  they  balance  their  burdens 
upon  their  heads  and  return  to  their  homes 
which  may  be  a mile  or  two  distant.  Their 
manner  of  drying  clothes  brings  dismay  to 
the  person  who  owns  them.  The  clothes  are 
hung  up  on  barbed  wires  or  on  prickly 
bushes,  so  that  when  the  wind  blows  it  works 
disaster  to  the  garments.  At  other  times 
the  clothing  is  laid  upon  the  ground  in  filthy 
lots  and  in  different  kinds  of  objectionable 
places,  so  that  they  are  not  only  soiled,  but 
there  is  danger  of  carrying  disease  in  them. 

It  was  estimated  by  the  shoe  merchants 
in  1899  that  700,000  persons  in  Porto  Rico 
wear  no  shoes,  and  if  one  is  to  judge  by  ap- 
pearances, there  are  many  of  that  number 
who  rarely  or  never  wash  their  feet.  The 
skin  becomes  hardened  and  encrusted  so 
that  they  are  able  to  walk  over  sharp  stones 
or  rough  roads  without  much  inconvenience. 
In  the  large  towns  many  compromise  by 
wearing  a sort  of  slipper  or  shoe  with  the 
heel  tramped  down.  They  hold  this  on  by 
the  toes  while  the  heel  part  of  it  flaps  and 
slides  along  the  pavement.  Men,  women 
and  children  in  large  numbers  use  this  sort 
of  footwear  in  the  towns,  but  in  the  country 


Market  Scenes 

Going  to  Market 
Ponce  Mar.<et  Place 


Characteristics  and  Customs  H9 

the  custom  of  going  barefooted  is  almost 
universal. 

Except  on  dress  occasions,  the  Porto 
Ricans  are  prone  to  he  careless  in  their  per- 
sonal appearance.  Men  and  women  of  the 
poorer  classes  wear  soiled  clothing  most  of 
the  week,  but  on  Sunday  they  come  out  ar- 
rayed in  garments  starched  so  stiff  that  they 
could  stand  alone. 

The  women  of  the  higher  classes  come  to 
coffee  in  the  morning  with  disheveled  hair 
and  garments  loosely  put  on.  They  sit  fre- 
quently around  idly  in  deshabille  during  the 
forenoon,  but  in  the  evening  they  dress  well 
for  dinner  and  for  social  events.  Even 
when  dressed  for  the  street  one  cannot  help 
noticing  that  in  many  cases  there  are  evi- 
dences which  betray  the  lack  of  neatness 
and  care. 

An  abundant  use  of  cheap  perfumery  and 
face  powder  is  also  noticeable  among  the 
Porto  Rican  women.  Even  the  blacks  light- 
en their  color  by  a generous  application  of 
powder. 

Among  the  poorer  classes,  there  is  a de- 
cided lack  of  taste  displayed  in  the  choice 
of  colors.  Yellow,  green,  pink  and  red  in  all 
sorts  of  combinations  are  the  prevailing 


Personal 

Appearance 


Market  Day 


A Natural 
Ambition 


GO  Down  in  Porto  Rico 

colors.  There  lias  been  quite  a modification 
in  these  respects  since  the  advent  of  the 
American  women. 

Another  custom  that  seems  strange  from 
the  American  point  of  view  is  the  making 
of  Sunday  into  the  chief  market  day  of  the 
week.  Each  town  has  its  market  place 
which  is  used  more  or  less  through  the  week, 
but  on  Sunday,  it  is  a perfect  hive  of  busi- 
ness. People  from  the  country  crowd  in 
with  articles  for  sale,  and  those  from  the 
town  go  to  market  on  that  day  even  if  they 
absent  themselves  the  rest  of  the  week.  The 
chief  use  of  Sunday  seems  to  have  been — 
market  and  mass  in  the  morning,  out-door 
pleasure  in  the  afternoon,  and  a dance  or 
concert  or  play  of  some  kind  for  the  evening. 

One  of  the  pathetic  features  connected 
with  the  people  of  mixed  blood  is  their  de- 
sire to  be  considered  white.  As  we  have 
stated  before,  there  is  a comparatively  small 
percentage  of  pure  whites  and  a large  per- 
centage of  persons  of  mixed  blood.  These 
latter  want  to  be  classed  as  whites.  By  a 
generous  use  of  face-powder,  by  skillful 
dressing  of  the  hair,  by  talking  disparag- 
ingly of  persons  of  negro  blood,  by  explain- 
ing their  own  dark  complexion  as  due  either 


Characteristics  and  Customs  61 


to  the  sun  or  to  Indian  blood,  or  to  a dark- 
skinned  Spaniard,  they  try  to  avoid  sus- 
picion themselves,  but  they  cannot  eradicate 
the  unmistakable  signs  of  the  negro  race. 
With  this  kind  of  a feeling  prevailing,  one 
is  surprised  at  the  lack  of  sentiment  against 
intermarriage.  Especially  among  the  poorer 
classes,  blacks,  whites,  and  persons  of 
mixed  blood  live  together  indiscriminately. 
Among  the  higher  classes,  if  a person  has 
but  a small  amount  of  negro  blood  he  can 
pass  as  white  and  marry  into  the  best 
families. 


IV.  Amusements 

The  Porto  Ricans  are  a pleasure-loving 
people,  whose  means  for  gratifying  the  de- 
sire for  amusements  are  quite  limited.  Very 
few  being  able  to  read,  books  of  all  kinds  are 
closed  to  them.  The  theatres  are  great  at- 
tractions where  they  exist,  but  there  are 
only  a few  of  them  on  the  Island,  these  being 
in  the  larger  towns,  and  even  here  the  people 
are  too  poor  to  patronize  them  in  large  num- 
bers. Bad  roads  and  expensive  travel  make 
it  impossible  to  have  any  great  assemblies 
at  central  points,  so  that  “fairs”  and  “cir- 


Intellectual 

Gatherings 


Out  Door 
Sports 


02  Down  in  I’orto  Rico 


cuses”  and  “shows”  are  practically  un- 
known. 

The  annual  attraction  for  the  whole  Is- 
land is  the  religious  pilgrimage  to  the 
Church  of  our  Lady  of  Monserrate.  This 
brings  devout  Catholics  and  many  others 
not  so  devout  from  almost  every  parish.  It 
furnishes  a substitute  for  “fairs”  and  other 
such  functions  in  bringing  together  the  peo- 
ple from  all  sections  of  the  Island. 

Neither  do  the  people  come  together  in 
intellectual  gatherings.  Courses  of  vocal 
and  instrumental  music  and  lectures  could 
neither  be  appreciated  nor  sustained.  The 
ignorance  and  the  poverty  of  the  great 
masses  of  the  people  have  shut  them  off 
from  many  of  the  sources  of  pleasure  en- 
joyed by  other  civilized  nations.  The  iso- 
lated position  of  the  Island  has  also  had  the 
effect  of  limiting  their  intellectual  oppor- 
tunities. 

Until  baseball  was  introduced  by  the 
American  soldiers,  there  seems  to  have  been 
little  out-door  sport.  Few  of  the  open  air 
games  have  found  a place  in  their  amuse- 
ments. Bathing,  fishing  and  sailing  are  not 
favorite  sports,  the  latter  two  are  used  to  a 
limited  extent,  but  almost  wholly  as  a 


>> 

na 

O o 
o OP 


>co 


i ► C/2 

I 

*£)  2 


Characteristics  and  Customs  63 


means  of  livelihood  and  not  for  pleasure. 
It  will  be  seen  from  these  limitations  that 
their  field  of  amusement  is  rather  restricted. 
This,  however,  does  not  prevent  them  from 
enjoying  such  things  as  they  have. 

As  stated  before,  the  love  of  gambling  is 
very  general  throughout  the  population. 
Anything  that  can  be  turned  into  a game  of 
chance  meets  with  favor.  Throwing  dice, 
playing  with  cards,  dominoes  or  checkers, 
are  only  interesting  as  money  is  placed  on 
the  game. 

Betting  on  the  cockfights  is  a most  popu- 
lar form  of  gambling.  Before  prohibited 
by  law,  many  towns  and  villages  had  cock- 
pits to  which  an  entrance  fee  was  charged. 
These  exhibitions  were  usually  given  on 
Sunday  afternoons  and  furnished  the  chief 
attraction  of  the  day. 

These  fights  were  the  best  substitute  they 
could  provide  for  the  bull  fights  of  Spain 
and  other  Spanish  countries.  They  were 
carried  on  in  somewhat  the  following  order : 
A number  of  cocks  were  tied  to  stakes  placed 
within  the  enclosure,  and  s when  the  spec- 
tators had  arrived  two  were  selected  and  the 
contest  began.  The  fighting  was  done  al- 


Gambling- 


Cock  Fights. 


64 


Down  in  Porto  Eico 


Dancing 


most  entirely  by  spurs  which  had  been 
sharpened  to  a point  almost  as  fine  as  a 
needle.  As  the  heads  of  the  birds  became 
bloody,  their  owners  sponged  them  off  until 
they  could  see  to  renew  the  struggle.  This 
continued  until  one  of  the  contestants  suc- 
ceeded in  driving  the  long,  sharp  spur 
through  his  rival’s  head.  The  dead  bird  was 
then  thrown  aside,  the  bets  paid,  and  a 
couple  of  new  cocks  were  put  in  the  pit  to 
continue  the  sport  for  the  crowd  that  was 
still  eager  for  the  fray. 

During  Spanish  rule  cockpits  were  li- 
censed by  the  municipalities  and  were  pat- 
ronized by  all  classes  of  society.  Under 
American  rule  these  fights  have  been  pro- 
hibited by  law,  but  there  are  still  many  of 
them  carried  on  in  sheds,  and  other  outbuild- 
ings in  the  cities  and  suburbs,  and  especially 
throughout  the  rural  districts  where  the  po- 
lice are  not  so  vigilant. 

Perhaps  the  most  popular  form  of  amuse- 
ment is  dancing  which  is  indulged  in  by  all 
classes.  Sunday  night  is  the  favorite  time 
for  the  “bailes”  or  balls,  with  Saturday 
night  as  a close  second.  These  balls  last 
far  into  the  night  or  rather  into  the  morn- 
ing. There  are  frequently  more  than  forty 


Characteristics  and  Customs  65 


dances  in  the  evening's  program  and  the 
dancers  move  much  more  slowly  than  is  the 
custom  in  the  United  States.  The  main 
feature  seems  to  be  a rhythmical  movement 
of  the  body  in  time  to  music.  They  have 
also  a dance  which  resembles  slightly  the 
waltz.  The  music  played  on  guitars  and  a 
kind  of  mandolin  is  in  very  quick  time,  and 
the  dancers  fly  around  in  a circle  at  a tre- 
mendous speed.  This  dance  is  more  popu- 
lar in  the  country,  while  the  slow  dances 
are  used  chiefly  in  the  cities. 

In  the  cities  and  towns  one  of  the  great 
attractions  is  the  band  concert  in  the  princi- 
pal plaza.  In  some  places,  there  is  a more 
or  less  ornamental  band  stand,  but  in  others 
the  band  simply  occupies  a central  position 
in  the  plaza.  These  concerts  are  given  on 
Sunday  evenings  and  on  one  or  two  even- 
ings during  the  week.  As  the  band  begins 
to  play,  the  crowd  which  has  been  gathering 
for  some  time  commences  to  promenade  up 
and  down  the  plaza.  This  is  kept  up  through- 
out the  entire  evening.  There  are  a few 
benches  around  the  side  which  are  greatly 
in  demand,  and  in  San  Juan  rocking-chairs 
are  placed  in  rows  and  rented  for  the  even- 


Band 

Concerts 


66 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


The  Carnival 


ing,  chiefly  to  “los  Americanos’’  as  the  Amer- 
icans are  called. 

These  concerts  are  really  enjoyable  af- 
fairs. The  bright  laughing  faces  of  the 
young  people  promenading,  the  variety  of 
colors  that  appear  in  the  gowns  of  the  young 
women  and  the  neckties  of  the  young  men, 
the  strains  of  the  music  that  mingle  with  the 
laughter  and  conversation  of  the  gay  crowd, 
the  balmy  sea  breeze  fanning  and  soothing 
one’s  brow,  the  soft  delicious  air  of  this 
tropical  Island  bathing  the  body  and  filling 
the  lungs — all  these  contribute  to  the  fasci- 
nation and  charm  of  these  gala  evening 
hours. 

The  great  annual  festivity  is  the  carnival 
which  lasts  ten  days.  This  is  the  most  dis- 
turbing of  all  the  “fiestas.”  In  San  Juan, 
it  is  opened  with  a grand  ball  in  the  theatre. 
Two  young  women,  chosen  for  their  beauty, 
are  crowned  queens  of  the  carnival.  Im- 
mediately after  the  coronation,  a great  up- 
roar takes  place.  Men  and  women  begin 
throwing  “papelitos”  upon  each  other  in 
great  quantities.  This  consists  of  millions 
of  small  disks  of  different  colored  paper.  It 
can  be  bought  in  little  sacks  containing 
about  half  a peck  each,  and  many  have  taken 


Characteristics  and  Customs  G7 


a supply  with  them.  Before  the  evening  is 
over,  every  one  has  been  covered  with  these 
bits  of  paper,  and  the  floor  of  the  theatre  is 
in  some  places  several  inches  deep  with 
them.  Dancing  is  kept  up  until  the  morn- 
ing, and  the  carnival  with  all  its  fantasies 
has  been  formally  inaugurated. 

In  the  afternoon  and  evening  of  each  day 
the  masqueraders  appear  on  the  streets. 
These  are  usually  persons  of  the  lower 
classes,  although  there  are  many  others  who 
join  with  them.  Men  dress  up  to  represent 
various  animals  such  as  a bear,  a donkey, 
a cow,  an  owl,  etc.  The  favorite  mask  rep- 
resents the  devil  with  horns  and  a tail. 
Such  a one  usually  is  followed  by  a crowd 
of  boys  who  obey  his  orders.  He  asks  ques- 
tions and  they  respond  in  chorus  as  they 
parade  up  and  down  the  streets.  He  forms 
them  into  a circle  on  the  plaza,  takes  the 
center,  and  after  various  maneuvers  breaks 
through  and  is  again  followed  by  his  crowd. 

The  women  vie  with  each  other  in  making 
striking  costumes  out  of  bright  colored  cot- 
ton materials.  Many  of  these  only  come  to 
the  knees,  and  the  lurid  colors  of  hosiery  are 
everywhere  prominent.  These  women  run 
around  in  the  most  aimless  manner,  trying 


68 


Down  in  Porto  Eico 


to  attract  attention  by  their  masks  and  by 
voices  disguised  as  high  squeaky  falsettos 
such  as  are  used  in  a Punch  and  Judy  show. 
In  the  meantime  the  boys  are  not  idle.  They 
have  sacks  filled  with  flour,  bottles  of  per- 
fumery, etc.,  which  they  use  freely  upon 
the  passer-by. 

The  evenings  are  given  up  to  “bailes.” 
One  night  there  will  be  a “first-class”  baile 
for  whites,  then  a “second-class”  for  blacks, 
then  a “black  and  white”  baile  for  both  col- 
ors, masks,  of  course,  being  used. 

The  closing  feature  of  the  carnival  is  a 
grand  parade  on  Sunday  afternoon.  Car- 
riages are  gaily  decorated  with  bright 
colored  papers,  and  at  the  head  of  the  pro- 
cession ride  the  two  queens.  As  they  pass 
through  the  streets  persons  on  the  balconies 
throw  balls  of  serpentine  paper  at  the 
queens  and  at  their  friends  in  the  carriages. 
They  also  hurl  this  paper  from  balcony  to 
balcony,  until  the  streets  are  a net  work, 
which  presents  a “fiesta”  day  appearance 
as  it  sways  in  the  breeze. 

Much  of  this  sport  is  innocent  fun,  but 
immoral  men  and  women  find  in  the  dis- 
guises and  masks  of  carnival  week  a suit- 


Characteristics  and  Customs  69 


able  covering  for  taking  liberties  they  other- 
wise would  not  dare  to  take,  and  in  many 
ways  they  use  their  concealed  identity  for 
promoting  their  nefarious  trade. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  part  of  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  Porto  Ricans  has  been  furnished 
by  the  Catholic  Church.  There  were  about 
forty  “holy  days,”  or  “fiesta”  days,  as  they 
were  generally  called,  in  each  year.  These 
were  legal  holidays,  and  work  was  quite 
generally  suspended.  The  Church  provided 
parades,  semi-religious  services,  spectacular 
exhibitions,  and,  in  many  ways,  it  sought  to 
gratify  the  taste  of  the  people  for  amuse- 
ment. 

In  our  judgment,  this  custom  was  dis- 
astrous in  several  respects.  It  caused  the 
people  to  regard  the  Church  as  an  amuse- 
ment bureau  instead  of  an  institution  to 
direct  their  thoughts  toward  spiritual  and 
ethical  ideas.  It  brought  into  vulgar  use 
many  of  the  emblems  and  words  that  should 
have  been  used  only  in  the  Church  or  in  con- 
nection with  religious  themes.  It  encour- 
aged idleness  by  giving  the  working  people 
more  than  forty  holidays  in  addition  to  the 


Religious 

Festival 


70 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


fifty-two  Sundays  of  the  year,  thus  putting 
a premium  on  idleness  in  a climate  where 
every  incentive  to  labor  is  needed  to  help 
overcome  the  enervating  influence  of  the 
atmosphere. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Education 

I.  Spanish  Provisions 

The  people  of  Porto  Rico  have  had  few 
educational  privileges  from  the  very  begin- 
ning of  their  history.  *As  late  as  17G5  there 
were  only  two  schools  for  children  on  the 
Island,  which  then  had  a population  of 
44,913  inhabitants. 

2 In  1799  the  municipal  council  of  San 
Juan  employed  four  teachers  to  take  charge 
of  as  many  schools  for  girls,  and  it  is  sup- 
posed that  there  already  existed  like  schools 
for  boys.  In  1815  the  Governor-General 
was  ordered  to  visit  the  schools  of  the  Island 
and  suggest  reforms.  He  visited  only  those 
of  San  German  and  San  Juan : if  there  were 
others  they  must  have  been  private  schools 
or  so  unimportant  as  not  to  demand  official 
notice. 

In  1838  the  first  steps  were  taken  toward 
establishing  a uniform  school  system.  In 
1846  the  municipalities  were  instructed  to 
buy  supplies  for  poor  children.  In  1865  a 


Spanish 

Provisions 


’O’Reilly  Report  to  the  King  of  Spain  in  1765. 

sSec  Report  Military  Governor  of  Porto  Rico.  Page  117. 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


A Lone 
School 
Building 


royal  decree  provided  for  the  reorganization 
of  the  system  of  public  instruction,  and  in 
1880,  a new  educational  law  was  enacted 
which  remained  in  force  until  1898,  when 
the  autonomous  constitution  gave  Porto 
Rico  authority  to  organize  her  own  educa- 
tional system. 

Little  further  comment  is  needed  upon 
the  failure  of  these  various  laws  than  a 
glance  at  their  results  as  shown  in  the  con- 
ditions that  obtained  when  the  Americans 
assumed  control.  According  to  the  census 
of  1899,  out  of  a total  population  of  953,243, 
but  143,472  or  15  per  cent,  were  able  to  read 
and  write,  while  only  5,045,  or  one  half  per 
cent.,  had  more  than  elementary  education. 
The  attendance  in  public  and  private  schools 
was  19,223,  or  a little  over  6 per  cent,  of  the 
children  of  the  school  age. 

When  the  American  Government  took 
charge  of  the  schools  of  Porto  Rico,  there 
was  only  one  school  building  received  from 
Spain.  This  was  a residence  that  had  been 
given  by  a benevolent  lady  of  San  German 
to  the  municipality  to  be  used  for  school 
purposes.  Most  of  the  schools  were  con- 
ducted in  the  homes  of  the  teachers  who  re- 
ceived an  allowance  for  rent. 


Education 


73 


Soon  after  the  establishment  of  the  mili- 
tary government,  the  acting  director  of  pub- 
lic instruction  reported  as  follows:  “We 
visited  schools  during  school  hours  and 
found  the  teacher  in  bed  taking  a siesta; 
other  teachers  were  away  attending  store. 
In  another  case,  we  found  a teacher  who 
was  running  a rum  shop.  Teachers  went 
around  the  schoolroom  in  untidy  and  in- 
sufficient attire,  and  the  demands  of  the 
neighborhood  callers  upon  the  time  of  the 
teacher  left  him  less  than  the  required  time 
for  instructing  the  public.” 

According  to  the  report  of  the  Military 
Governor,  the  teachers  were  largely  politi- 
cians and  office-holders  who  felt  they  had  a 
life  tenure  on  their  positions,  and  as  they 
had  nothing  to  gain  by  increasing  their 
efficiency  and  nothing  to  lose  because  of 
neglect,  there  was  little  interest  in  the  schol- 
ars or  the  school.  Some  teachers  lived  in 
Europe  and  had  substitutes  doing  their 
work  for  half  their  salary.  The  qualifica- 
tions of  teachers  were  far  from  the  ordinary 
standards.  Some  who  held  superior  certifi- 
cates took  the  teachers’  examination  in  1899 
and  received  less  than  25  per  cent,  in  the 


The  Elemen- 
tary Schools 


1 See  Report  of  Military  Governor  of  Porto  Rieo.  Page  122. 


74 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


The  Institute 


elementary  branches.  This  was  due  in  part 
to  the  same  worthlessness  of  the  secondary 
schools  that  characterized  those  of  the  pri- 
mary grades.  In  these  secondary  institu- 
tions of  learning,  there  was  lack  of  prepara- 
tion among  the  teachers,  and  on  the  part  of 
the  pupils  a lack  of  preparation  also,  due 
largely  to  the  fact  that  they  had  few,  if  any, 
textbooks  to  study  from, — the  lecture  sys- 
tem being  used. 

The  Institute  which  was  located  in  San 
Juan,  and  was  supposed  to  furnish  a col- 
lege education,  had  no  building  of  its  own. 
Again  quoting  the  report  of  the  Military 
Governor.1  “The  classes  were  held  at  va- 
rious places  in  the  city  of  San  Juan — some 
in  private  residences.  Students  were  per- 
mitted to  study  elsewhere,  passing  exami- 
nations at  stated  times.  Private  schools 
could  also  enter  into  fixed  relations  with 
the  Institute.”  The  attendance  in  February 
1899  was  about  60,  but  the  registration  was 
much  larger,  including  those  studying  at 
home  and  in  the  private  schools  referred  to 
above.  It  was  the  opinion  of  the  Commis- 
sion that  the  Institute  as  conducted  was 
“as  nearly  worthless  as  possible.” 


'Report.  Page  123. 


Education 


75 


A similar  state  of  affairs  existed  in  the 
Normal  School.  In  the  words  of  the  Com- 
missioner’s report — “Students  attend  very 
irregularly,  and,  indeed,  it  would  seem  it 
is  not  a matter  of  much  importance  whether 
they  attend  or  not,  as  all  in  time  are  grad- 
uated. There  are  some  lectures  given  on 
pedagogy,  but  nothing  was  seen  to  convince 
the  commission  that  this  school  can  prepare 
any  one  to  teach,  even  in  the  most  elemen- 
tary branches.” 

According  to  these  reports,  the  educa- 
tional system  of  Porto  Rico  under  Spanish 
rule  was  wholly  inadequate  for  the  large 
population  of  the  Island,  and  the  schools 
in  actual  operation  were  utterly  incompe- 
tent to  give  a child  an  elementary  school 
education  or  to  train  persons  for  teachers, 
or  to  supply  students  with  an  accredited 
college  course. 

That  these  reports  are  true  is  amply  veri- 
fied by  evidence  received  from  teachers  and 
prominent  citizens  of  Porto  Rico  in  the  in- 
quiries made  by  special  United  States  Com- 
missioner, Dr.  H.  K.  Carroll,  in  1899, 
concerning  the  public  school  system.  1 In 
summing  up  the  information  received  from 

'Report  on  the  Island  of  Porto  Rico.  Page  32. 


The  Normal 
School 


Some 

Evidence 


76 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


many  representative  Porto  Ricans,  the  Com- 
missioner says:  “The  system  of  public 

schools  was  antiquated,  and  few  improve- 
ments seem  to  have  been  made.  In  practice 
it  was  decidedly  inferior  and  insufficient. 
Most  attention  was  given,  naturally,  to 
urban  schools,  and  these  were  inadequate 
in  almost  every  respect.  Less  attention  was 
given  to  schools  in  the  rural  districts,  where 
the  difficulties  were  greatest.  Something 
was  done  for  the  boys,  but  little  for  the 
girls.  . . . The  scholars  were  generally 
clothed,  but  there  were  some  exceptions 
among  the  smaller  ones.  . . . The  system 
of  instruction  was  generally  superficial  and 
not  solid,  and  theoretical  rather  than  prac- 
tical.” These  statements  are  further 
strengthened  by  the  written  testimony  of 
persons  who  taught  for  years  under  the 
Spanish  regime.  Some  extracts  are  here 
given  from  a letter  of  Mr.  Enrique  Landron, 
found  in  the  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of 
Education  for  1902.  Mr.  Landron  was  a 
teacher  under  the  old  system  and  is  now  a 
school  supervisor  under  the  American  rule. 
He  says,  1 “There  was  no  grading  of  the 
schools.  Every  teacher  classified  his  pupils 


1 Report  of  1902.  Page  9. 


Education 


77 


according  to  his  own  ideas.  ...  As  to 
method  of  teaching,  the  pupil  had  to  learn  by 
heart  the  lessons  in  the  text-books.  These 
text-books  were  written  in  the  old  way  of 
questions  and  answers.  The  pupil  had  to 
learn  daily  a certain  number  of  questions.  At 
the  time  of  the  recitation,  the  teacher  would 
read  out  the  questions  to  the  pupil,  who  in 
turn  would  answer  the  same  ad  pcdem  li- 
ter ae.  The  pupils  had  to  learn  their  lessons 
at  home.  A few  minutes  were  granted  to 
them  before  the  recitation  to  read  over  the 
answers  they  had  to  recite  that  day.  The 
highest  mark  was  to  the  pupil  who  recited 
the  lesson  without  omitting  any  of  the 
words.  Besides  these  recitations,  the  teach- 
ers were  supposed  to  give  some  oral  ex- 
planations in  grammar,  arithmetic  and 
catechism.  Object  lessons  were  entirely  un- 
known. 

“As  to  discipline,  if  there  was  any,  it  was 
very  bad.  An  unbearable  noise  was  heard 
continuously  in  the  school.  Corporal  pun- 
ishment, abnormal  positions,  and  retention 
after  school  were  the  most  common  punish- 
ments used.  . . . The  teacher  and  his  fam- 
ily generally  lived  in  the  schoolhouse.  . . 
The  school  was  free  only  for  poor  children. 


78 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Work  of  the 
Military  Gov' 
emment 


Other  pupils  had  to  pay  a monthly  fee  to 
the  teacher.  . . . The  teachers  obtained 
their  schools  through  a competitive  exami- 
nation before  an  examining  board  appointed 
by  the  Governor.  In  this  way  the  teacher 
obtained  his  school  for  life.  He  was  the 
proprietor  of  his  school,  and  it  could  not  be 
taken  away  from  him  only  through  special 
legal  proceedings.  Teachers  were  promoted 
according  to  the  length  of  public  service. 
...  In  fact,  it  can  be  said  that  there  was 
no  real  organization  in  the  public  schools 
of  Porto  Rico,  every  teacher  being  the  ruler 
of  his  own  school.” 

II.  Under  the  United  States  Military 
Government 

Such  in  brief  were  the  educational  con- 
ditions that  confronted  the  new  military 
government.  In  January,  1899,  General 
Eaton  was  placed  in  charge  of  educational 
affairs.  After  a tour  of  inspection,  he  re- 
commended the  appointment  of  sixteen  Eng- 
lish supervisors,  who,  in  addition  to  their 
work  as  inspectors,  should  be  teachers  of 
English.  The  recommendations  were  ap- 
proved, and  this  number  was  appointed  and 
entered  upon  their  duties  at  once.  Then 


Education 


79 


came  in  rapid  succession  the  organization 
of  school  districts,  provision  for  school  trus- 
tees, for  school  taxes,  for  admitting  both 
sexes  to  rural  schools,  for  the  separation  of 
school  buildings  from  residences,  making 
the  schools  absolutely  free,  establishing  a 
nine  months’  school  year,  inaugurating  a 
graded  system,  limiting  the  number  of 
scholars  to  50  for  one  teacher,  providing  a 
principal  where  there  are  more  than  four 
schools,  eliminating  Church  doctrine  and 
religion,  loaning  text-books  free  of  charge. 
In  July,  1899,  a Board  of  Education  was 
constituted  which  was  to  “act  in  a general 
advisory  and  superintending  capacity  over 
the  educational  interests  of  Porto  Rico.”  In 
September  a model  and  training  school  was 
opened  in  San  Juan.  Provision  was  also 
made  by  the  military  government  for  the 
establishment  of  a normal  and  industrial 
school,  and  for  the  introduction  of  high 
schools. 

III.  Under  Civil  Government 

1 “When  the  government  was  turned  over 
to  the  civil  authorities,  it  was  found  that  612 
schools  had  been  put  in  operation.  During 


Steps  Taken 
by  tbe  Civil 
Government 


•See  Report  of  Commissioner  of  Education,  1901.  Page  7. 


80 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


the  first  year  of  civil  government,  this  num- 
ber had  been  increased  to  792,  of  which  733 
were  open  at  the  close  of  the  school  year.” 
Commissioner  Brumbaugh  thus  summarizes 
the  work  accomplished  during  the  school 
year.”  1 “With  the  public  elementary 
schools  thoroughly  organized;  with  the  new 
school  law  prepared  by  this  department, 
and  enacted  by  the  last  legislature  in  full 
force  and  successful  operation;  with  effi- 
cient supervision  provided;  with  thirty-nine 
new  public  school  buildings  completed  and 
in  daily  use;  with  a reorganized  corps  of 
teachers;  with  a system  of  agricultural 
schools  giving  practical  education  to  1,000 
chosen  youths ; with  the  normal  school  fully 
organized  and  ready  to  begin  its  work;  with 
the  summer  Normal  happily  concluded;  with 
a high  school  in  successful  operation  in  San 
Juan;  with  the  annual  budget  for  education 
increased  from  $400,000  to  $500,000;  with 
every  school  amply  equipped  with  all  neces- 
sary books  and  supplies ; with  a school  year 
of  nine  months  throughout  the  Island,  and 
with  a rapidly  growing  sentiment  in  favor 
of  free  public  schools,  it  is  eminently  reason- 
able to  claim  that  the  cause  of  education 
has  made  gratifying  progress  in  Porto  Rico 
during  the  past  year.” 


'Report  of  Commissioner  of  Education,  l’age  8. 


Education 


81 


Commissioner  Lindsay’s  report  for  1901- 
1902  shows  that  the  number  of  schools  in 
operation  at  the  close  of  that  year  was  874. 
For  1902-03,  he  reports  1097  open  in  June. 
For  1903-04,  1113  were  open  at  the  close  of 
the  year. 

By  way  of  comparison  and  report  of  prog- 
ress, he  says : 1 “The  total  number  of  schol- 
ars enrolled  in  the  Spanish  schools  Dec.  31, 
1897  is  reported  at  22,265  as  compared  with 
42,070  in  the  American  schools  on  June  20, 
1902.  . . . We  now  have  a graded  course 
of  study,  which  is  followed  so  far  as  pos- 
sible by  all  teachers,  even  by  those  teaching 
in  the  ungraded  rural  schools.  The  best 
books  and  supplies  the  Government  can  get 
are  furnished  free,  and  there  are  sixteen 
school  supervisors  who  are  required  to  visit 
each  school  in  their  respective  districts  at 
least  once  a month.” 

During  the  school  year  of  1902-03,  70,216 
different  pupils  were  enrolled  in  the  schools. 
This,  while  showing  a gratifying  increase 
in  the  number  being  taught  by  the  Govern- 
ment, is  still  a small  percentage  of  those  of 
school  age.  The  census  of  1899  gives  the 
number  of  children  between  the  ages  of  5 

'Report  School  Commissioner,  1902.  Page  8. 


82 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


and  18  as  322,393.  The  estimated  number 
for  1893,  based  upon  the  rate  of  increase 
for  the  sixteen  years  previous  to  the  census 
of  1899,  is  377,200.  The  number  enrolled 
for  1902-03  is,  therefore,  21.7  per  cent  of  the 
school  population  given  by  the  last  official 
census,  or  19  per  cent  of  the  estimated 
school  population  for  the  year  1902-03. 
This  enrollment  includes  6.177  pupils  of 
special  schools  which  are  reported  as  fol- 
lows : Kindergarten  schools,  10 ; night 

school  classes,  44;  industrial  school  classes, 
6;  high  school  classes,  23;  practice  school 
classes,  2 ; normal  school  classes,  4. 

In  commenting  upon  the  number  en- 
rolled in  the  schools  during  the  school  year 
of  1902-03,  the  Commissioner  remarks, 
1 “One-fifth  of  the  total  population  of  school 
age  in  school  is  but  a poor  showing  com- 
pared with  the  United  States,  where  one 
fifth  of  the  total  population  attend  school. 
With  us  only  about  one  fifteenth  of  the  total 
population  enjoy  that  privilege.  Where 
there  are  four  boys  and  girls  of  school  age 
who  have  no  school  to  which  they  can  go 
to  every  boy  or  girl  who  can  go  to  school, 


’Report,  1903.  Page  17. 


Education 


83 


the  bane  of  illiteracy  cannot  be  entirely  re- 
moved. 

1 The  figures  for  1903-04  do  not  present 
even  as  favorable  a report.  The  total  enroll- 
ment for  the  year  was  61,168,  or  nearly  10,- 
000  less  than  the  year  before.  The  Commis- 
sioner accounts  for  this  in  the  different 
methods  employed  in  making  the  enumera- 
tion. In  1902-03  every  separate  name  en- 
rolled throughout  the  year  was  counted, 
while  in  1903-04  duplicates  and  re-enroll- 
ments  were  excluded.  He  also  points  out 
that  while  the  average  daily  attendance  for 
the  former  year  was  only  36,308,  the  attend- 
ance for  the  latter  year  was  41,798.  This 
brings  the  percentage  of  the  children  en- 
rolled in  all  schools  as  compared  with  the 
total  population  of  school  age  down  to  19.7 
per  cent  as  based  upon  the  census  of  1899, 
or  only  16.1  per  cent  when  based  upon  the 
estimated  school  population  of  1904. 

One  of  the  great  difficulties  that  has 
stood  in  the  way  of  the  educational  depart- 
ment is  the  lack  of  proper  school  buildings. 
Spain  turned  over  one  schoolhouse  to  the 
American  Government.  The  Department 
had  to  rent  buildings,  equip  them  with 


Lack  of 
School  Build- 
infra 


1See  Report  for  1904-  Poge  15. 


84 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


school  furniture,  and  furnish  all  books  and 
other  necessary  supplies.  Under  Commis- 
sioner Brumbaugh,  $200,000  was  secured 
from  the  United  States  Government  for 
school  extension.  This  has  been  increased 
by  a share  of  the  trust  funds  refunded  to 
Porto  Rico  by  the  United  States.  This 
money  has  been  wisely  and  economically  ad- 
ministered in  securing  selioolhouses  for  the 
Island.  Where  communities  were  able  to 
raise  part  of  the  sum  required  for  a build- 
ing, they  were  expected  to  do  so.  In  many 
places  where  they  were  too  poor  to  contrib- 
ute, especially  in  rural  districts,  no  help 
was  demanded. 

In  this  way  the  Insular  Government  has 
constructed  over  seventy  school  buildings. 
The  graded  schools  are  plain  two-story 
structures  built  of  brick  or  stone.  The 
rural  selioolhouses  are  one-story  frame 
buildings.  The  Department  is  still  under 
the  necessity  of  renting  over  six  hundred 
buildings  for  school  purposes.  Many  of 
these  are  wholly  unfit  for  school  work,  and 
the  teachers  labor  under  great  disadvan- 
tages. The  rents  are  in  numerous  cases  ex- 
horbitant,  and  the  money  that  is  sadly 
needed  for  the  extension  of  school  privi- 


Education 


85 


leges  lias  to  be  paid  for  the  use  of  these 
houses.  The  Insular  Government  seems  to 
be  doing  its  best  in  this  matter,  but  it  is 
felt  that  the  United  States  Government 
ought  to  assist  still  further  in  securing 
buildings  in  which  to  house  the  schools  of 
the  Island.  This  feeling  is  expressed  by 
Commissioner  Lindsay  in  the  following 
language : 

1 “ Appeals  have  been  made  from  time  to 
time  to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  and 
some  way  must  be  devised  by  which  the 
people  of  the  United  States  can  do  more 
than  merely  take  an  interest  in  the  public 
school  system  of  Porto  Rico.  They  must 
show  their  sympathy  in  a more  practical 
way,  in  the  ambition  of  the  people  to  develop 
a system  of  public  schools  equal  to  any  to 
be  found  in  the  United  States.  Thus  far 
the  United  States  has  given  no  financial 
aid  except  that  which  has  come  from  the 
trust  funds  refunded  by  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  a part  of  which  has 
been  used  in  the  construction  of  school 
buildings.  It  is  true  that  Congress  has  been 
more  than  just  in  legislating  for  Porto  Rico 
and  that  the  Island  enjoys  a singular  token 


Report  1903.  Page  18. 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


S€ 


of  this  generosity  in  the  use  of  its  customs 
receipts  and  its  internal  revenue  as  a part 
of  its  insular  revenue,  but  some  further  sub- 
stantial aid  should  be  extended.” 

Some  Result*  To  any  supporter  of  the  American  Public 
School  system,  the  results  that  are  being 
obtained  in  Porto  Rico  are  exceedingly  en- 
couraging. The  percentage  of  illiteracy  is 
rapidly  decreasing;  the  discipline  of  the 
school  is  teaching  the  pupils  obedience  and 
self-control ; children  are  better  clothed  and 
lessons  of  cleanliness  are  being  learned; 
there  is  a growing  demand  for  higher  educa- 
tion; standards  of  life  are  being  raised; 
patriotism  is  being  instilled  in  all  classes — 
in  fact,  the  public  schools  of  Porto  Rico  are 
a mighty  force  in  transforming  the  life  of 
this  people. 

In  one  important  particular  we  differ  in 
opinion  from  that  held  by  the  school  author- 
ities. Commissioner  Brumbaugh,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  language  used  in  the  schools,  re- 
marks, 1 “We  want  the  children  to  have  and 
to  use  both  languages.”  Commissioner 
Lindsay  is  of  the  same  opinion,  for  he 
states : 2 “There  is  no  intention  to  rob  them 


Tlie  Lan- 
guage 
Question 


•Report.  1901.  Page  13. 
3Report,  1902.  Page  23. 


Education  ST 

of  the  use  of  the  Spanish  language.”  We 
do  not  agree  with  these  sentiments.  The 
United  States  is  not  interested  in  preserv- 
ing either  the  Spanish  or  any  other  foreign 
language.  One  of  the  great  arguments  in 
favor  of  the  public  school  system  is  the  fact 
that  it  teaches  the  use  of  one  tongue  and 
thus  aids  in  making  a homogeneous  people. 
In  some  of  the  States  of  the  United  States 
petitions  have  been  sent  to  the  legislatures 
requesting  a teacher  for  a neighborhood 
who  would  use  a specified  foreign  language 
in  the  schoolroom  because  all  the  children 
used  that  language  and  none  of  them  under- 
stood English.  These  requests  have  been 
denied  and  the  principle  has  been  observed 
that  the  public  school  system  must  be  con- 
ducted in  English. 

In  the  judgment  of  the  writer,  there  is  as 
much,  perhaps  more,  need  of  the  applica- 
tion of  this  principle  in  Porto  Rico  than  in 
the  foreign  colonies  of  some  of  our  States. 
It  is  the  desire  of  the  Americans,  and  of 
many  of  the  Porto  Ricans,  that  this  people 
be  “Americanized”  as  soon  as  possible. 
How  is  this  to  be  done?  Not  by  reading 
Spanish  literature,  for  there  is  not  much  of 
a complimentary  nature  to  be  found  there, 


A Personal 
Opinion 


88 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


while  there  is  much  hostility  toward  Amer- 
icans and  American  ideals.  Not  by  talking 
in  Spanish  to  Americans  who  live  on  the 
Island,  for  very  few  of  them  can  express 
themselves  well  in  that  language.  The  most 
prolific  source  of  the  misunderstandings 
that  really  exist  between  Porto  Ricans  and 
Americans  is  the  inability  to  converse  freely 
in  a common  language.  That  common 
language  will  not  be  Spanish.  Of  necessity 
it  must  be  English.  If  the  people  learn  to 
read  American  literature  and  come  to  know 
our  ideals  of  national  life,  if  they  are  able 
to  converse  in  an  intelligent  manner  with 
the  American  officials  and  citizens  who  re- 
side in  Porto  Rico,  it  will  not  be  long  until 
this  people  shall  be  thoroughly  American. 
The  only  organization  that  can  bring  about 
this  transformation  is  the  public  school 
system.  We  believe  that,  if  the  schools  were 
conducted  exclusively  in  English,  in  a few 
years  all  the  school  children  would  be  able 
to  converse  and  to  read  in  that  language. 
As  the  schools  are  now  conducted,  with  a 
few  exceptions,  Spanish  is  the  language  of 
the  schoolroom.  A teacher  of  English 
comes  in  and  gives  a lesson  a day  in  most 
of  the  graded  schools.  Several  lessons  a 


Education 


89 


week  or  less  is  the  maximum  which  the 
rural  schools  receive  where  English  is 
taught.  The  children  speak  Spanish  both 
at  home  and  in  school,  and  it  is  not  to  be  ex- 
pected that  without  practice  they  will  be- 
come familiar  with  a foreign  language. 
Even  college  students  who  study  German  or 
French  for  several  j^ears  in  the  States  are 
unable  to  converse  in  those  languages.  Can 
we  expect  more  from  children  who  study 
English  one  hour  a day  and  use  Spanish  the 
rest  of  the  time? 

Let  us  examine  some  of  the  objections 
that  are  made  to  the  immediate  conduct  of 
the  schools  in  English. 

1.  It  is  too  expensive.  American  teach- 
ers cost  more  than  Porto  Rican  teachers. 

In  answer  to  this  objection,  it  may  be 
stated  that  the  salaries  of  ninety-nine  spe- 
cial teachers  of  English  would  be  saved  and 
could  be  applied  toward  making  up  the  dif- 
ference between  the  salaries  now  paid  Porto 
Rican  teachers  and  what  American  teachers 
would  cost.  Moreover,  it  is  better  to  have 
the  schools  placed  on  the  right  basis  even 
if  it  somewhat  reduced  the  number  for  a 
short  time. 


Objections 
and  Answers 


90 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


2.  It  would  wTork  hardship  to  the  Porto 
Rican  teachers  who  do  not  know  English. 

The  schools  are  not  run  in  the  interests 
of  the  teachers  but  for  the  good  of  the  schol- 
ars. If  aspirants  for  teachers’  positions 
knew  that  the  work  had  to  be  conducted  in 
English,  they  would  soon  acquire  the  lan- 
guage. If  the  Government  in  1898  had 
stated  that  after  five  years  all  public  school 
work  should  be  conducted  in  English,  those 
preparing  themselves  for  teaching  positions 
would  have  governed  themselves  accord- 
ingly, and  would  have  been  prepared  to  do 
the  work  in  the  manner  required. 

3.  The  progress  of  the  scholars  would  be 
slow  where  the  teacher  does  not  understand 
Spanish  and  the  pupils  do  not  understand 
English. 

Experience  has  shown  that  children  read- 
ily learn  a language  that  is  constantly  used 
in  the  school  room.  In  New  York  city 
many  children  who  do  not  understand  Eng- 
lish enter  the  public  schools,  and  in  a re- 
markably short  time  they  are  keeping  up 
in  their  work  with  native  born  American 
children.  The  Porto  Rican  boys  and  girls 
being  especially  quick  in  picking  up  new 


Education 


91 


ideas  and  new  words  would  experience  little 
difficulty  in  adopting  the  English  speech. 

4.  Children  ought  to  have  an  education 
in  their  native  tongue. 

We  do  not  accept  this  theory.  Children 
ought  to  receive  their  education  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  country  of  which  they  form  a 
part.  If  more  is  desired,  it  should  be  paid 
for  privately.  The  Porto  Ricans  do  not  un- 
derstand American  ideals  and  American 
ways  because  they  have  had  almost  all  of 
their  associations  with  Spaniards.  Many  of 
the  Americans  who  went  to  Porto  Rico  were 
not  representative  citizens  and  they  soon 
left  a wrong  impression  of  American  man- 
hood and  womanhood.  As  before  stated, 
misunderstandings  are  constantly  arising 
between  Americans  and  Porto  Ricans, 
caused  chiefly  by  the  failure  to  comprehend 
each  other’s  speech.  It  is  imperative  that 
the  new  generation  shall  absorb  the  real 
spirit  of  American  life  as  set  forth  in  her 
best  periodicals  and  books,  and  at  the  same 
time  be  able  to  converse  with  the  Govern- 
ment officials,  the  merchants  and  other 
Americans  who  visit  the  Island,  to  the  mu- 
tual advantage  of  both  parties.  To  accom- 
plish these  results,  we  believe  that  English 


92 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


alone  should  be  the  language  of  the  schools. 

5.  It  would  cause  a revulsion  of  public 
feeling  against  the  schools. 

On  the  contrary,  we  believe  it  would  make 
the  schools  more  popular.  When  the  people 
of  the  Island  learn  that  to  secure  any  gov- 
ernment position  a man  or  woman  must 
speak  the  English  language,  parents  will 
be  glad  to  have  their  children  avail  tliem- 
themselves  of  the  advantages  of  the  English- 
speaking  public  schools. 

G.  The  same  results  can  be  better  ob- 
tained by  gradually  introducing  the  Eng- 
lish text-books  and  instruction. 

This  means  the  depriving  of  many  of  the 
children  who  have  attended  the  public 
schools  the  last  few  years  and  those  who  are 
now  in  attendance  of  a practical  knowledge 
of  the  English  language,  and  retarding  the 
growth  of  American  ideas  in  these  forma- 
tive days  of  national  life  and  spirit.  The 
experiment  tried  in  the  common  schools  of 
the  Philippine  Islands  in  having  English  as 
the  sole  language  of  the  school  room  has 
been  a great  success,  and  is  giving  further 
evidence  of  the  wisdom  of  having  but  one 
language  for  all  the  school  children  of  our 
Republic. 


Education 


93 


We  believe  that  there  should  be  no  ex- 
ceptions made  in  the  principle  governing 
our  public  school  system,  that  is,  wherever 
the  American  public  school  is  found,  the 
official  language  of  the  school  room  should 
be  English. 

Perhaps  the  most  far-reaching  official  act 
of  Commissioner  Lindsay  was  the  bringing 
of  five  hundred  Porto  Rican  school  teachers 
to  the  United  States  for  a brief  summer 
season  of  study  and  travel.  Most  of  these 
teachers  had  never  been  beyond  the  shores 
of  their  native  Island.  A new  world  was 
revealed  to  them  and  a truer  conception  of 
American  life  was  formed  in  their  minds. 
One  section  of  the  company  attended  the 
summer  session  at  Harvard,  and  the  other 
section  attended  at  Cornell.  In  addition  to 
the  instruction  of  these  schools,  a number 
of  excursions  were  arranged  for  them  to 
places  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  col- 
leges, and  before  departing  for  Porto  Rico, 
they  visited  New  York,  Philadelphia  and 
Washington.  This  enterprise  meant  much 
more  than  the  pleasure  and  profit  received 
by  these  five  hundred  young  men  and  young 
women.  While  it  was  of  inestimable  value 
to  them  in  enlarging  their  vision  and  giving 


A Profitable 
Enterprise 


94 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


them  a glimpse  of  the  life  in  the  great  east- 
ern cities  of  the  United  States,  with  few 
exceptions,  it  made  them  advocates  of  Amer- 
icanism among  the  many  thousands  of 
school  children  who  come  under  their  in- 
struction. It  is  our  opinion  that  a few 
more  excursions  of  this  kind  would  do  more 
to  break  down  the  prejudice  that  exists  to 
some  extent  against  the  American  Govern- 
ment than  any  other  propaganda  that  could 
be  devised.  Commissioner  Lindsay  and 
those  associated  with  him  deserve  great 
credit  for  this  stroke  of  statesmanship,  and 
for  the  admirable  manner  in  which  it  was 
carried  through  to  success. 


CHAPTER  V 
Morals  and  Religion 
I.  Moral  Conditions 

The  people  of  the  United  States  point 
with  great  pride  to  the  sturdy,  religious 
character  of  the  founders  of  their  nation. 
The  Puritans  of  New  England,  the  Dutch  of 
New  York,  and  the  Quakers  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, are  types  of  the  men  who  gave  direc- 
tion and  strength  in  the  formative  period  of 
our  national  life.  These  men  came  to  the 
new  world  to  found  permanent  homes  where 
they  might  enjoy  religious  liberty. 

Porto  Rico  has  no  such  noble  ancestry. 
The  Spaniards  who  came  to  this  Island  were 
soldiers,  adventurers,  politicians,  mer- 
chants, priests  and  convicts.  All  of  these, 
with  perhaps  the  exception  of  the  last,  ex- 
pected, after  a temporary  residence,  to  re- 
turn to  Spain  and  enjoy  the  wealth  that  had 
been  accumulated  in  Porto  Rico.  Their  ob- 
ject was  to  secure  money,  no  matter  what 
means  were  employed.  It  is  not  surprising 
that,  with  such  men  as  their  rulers,  the  an- 

95 


Our  Fore- 
fathers 


Foto  Rican 
Anoestry 


96 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Floating 

Spanish 

Population 


Permanent 

Spanish 

Population 


nals  of  this  people  is  a repetition  of  tyranny, 
cruelty  and  immorality. 

Few  of  the  men  of  the  classes  mentioned 
brought  wives  with  them.  During  their 
residence  here,  they  lived  promiscuously 
with  Indian  and  colored  women  and  usually 
left  numerous  descendants  when  they  re- 
turned to  Spain.  The  influence  of  this  large 
floating  Spanish  population  was  especially 
disastrous  to  morality  because  they  were 
men  of  the  official  and  commercial  classes 
who  were  supposed  to  represent  a better- 
civilization  than  that  found  on  the  Island 
— the  civilization  of  proud  old  Spain. 

Friar  Abbad,  who  wrote  in  1782,  gives  us 
some  information  of  the  kind  of  Spaniards 
who  formed  a part  of  the  permanent  popu- 
lation. After  referring  to  the  allotment  of 
land  to  the  peasant  class  and  other  colonists, 
he  says : 1 “The  same  inducements  could  be 
extended  to  male  convicts  in  the  prisons 
Avho  have  finished  their  term  of  banishment 
and  do  not  desire  to  return  to  Spain,  as  has 
frequently  been  the  case,  some  remaining 
because  they  find  the  country  to  their  lik- 
ing, others  by  reason  of  lack  of  sufficient 
means  to  pay  for  their  passage,  and  these 

’Fray  Inigo  Abbad,  Historia  de  la  Isla  San  Juan  Batista,  Madrid,  17SS. 


i he  Lowest  Classes 

A Beggar 

Prisoners  in  the  Jail  Yard 


Morals  and  Religion 


97 


having  no  lands  or  homes  of  any  kind,  re- 
sort to  labor  on  estates,  or  become  smug- 
glers, or  commit  other  excesses,  which  ne- 
cessitates their  flight  to  other  colonies.  * * * 
Thus  all  classes — landless  squatters,  free 
slaves,  liberated  convicts,  discharged  sol- 
diers, vagrants  and  adventurers — could  find 
themselves  sufficiently  provided  for  after 
the  fashion  of  the  country.” 

In  1815  the  social  conditions  were  much 
improved  by  the  influx  of  colonists  and  their 
families  from  South  America  and  from 
some  of  the  other  islands  of  the  West  In- 
dies, due  to  the  “Act  of  Grace.”  Colonel 
Flinter,  however,  in  1834,  found  society  still 
in  a deplorable  state.  After  speaking  of  the 
officers,  merchants  and  tradesmen,  he  says : 1 
“Another  class,  forming  the  floating  mass 
on  the  surface  of  society,  is  composed  of  ad- 
venturers from  all  countries,  gamblers,  etc. 
* * * Still  another  class,  which  forms  no 
inconsiderable  part  of  the  colonists,  con- 
sists of  those  men  who,  for  political  or  civil 
crimes,  have  been  sent  to  the  galleys  of  this 
fortress.  At  the  expiration  of  their  im- 
prisonment they  are  set  at  liberty,  and  few 

^Colonel  Flinter.  An  Account  of  the  Present  State  of  the  Island  of  Puerto 
Rico,  London,  1834. 


Criminal 

Classes 


98 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


The  Rural 
Population 


have  any  inducement  to  return  to  their 
native  country.  * * * The  heterogeneous 
mixture  of  all  classes  and  colors  forms  a 
striking  feature  in  the  population,  and  has 
a corresponding  effect  on  society  and  man- 
ners, and  distinguishes  the  inhabitants  in 
the  relations  of  social  life  from  other  na- 
tions.” 

Count  de  Caspe,  in  his  report  to  the  King, 
says  of  the  rural  population  “Destitute  as 
they  are  of  religious  instruction  and  moral 
restraint,  their  unions  are  without  the  sanc- 
tion of  religious  or  civil  law,  and  last  just 
as  long  as  their  sensual  appetites  last;  it 
may,  therefore,  be  truly  said,  that  in  the 
rural  districts  of  Porto  Rico,  the  family 
morally  constituted  does  not  exist.” 

In  view  of  the  ancestry  of  this  people, 
and  the  laxity  of  morals  that  is  induced  by 
a tropical  climate,  and  the  corruption  of 
the  spiritual  leaders  which  we  shall  discuss 
later,  it  ought  not  to  be  surprising  if  we 
find  here,  as  we  study  the  people,  conditions 
which  in  our  country  would  be  considered 
shockingly  immoral,  but  which  in  Porto 
Rico  can  scarcely  be  considered  as  anything 


‘Count  de  Caspe,  The  Governor’s  Report  to  the  King. 


Morals  and  Religion 


99 


more  than  non-moral  among  the  great 
masses  of  the  people. 

The  census  of  1899  shows  that  158,570 
persons  claimed  to  be  legally  married,  while 
84,242  acknowledged  that  they  were  living 
in  concubinage.  There  were  also  reported 
148,605  illegitimate  children.  This  alarm- 
ing and  deplorable  condition  calls  for  some 
explanation.  We  have  already  shown  that 
the  official  and  commercial  classes  of  Span- 
iards expected  to  remain  in  Porto  Rico  only 
long  enough  to  make  a fortune  or  at  least 
a competence  and  then  return  to  Spain. 
While  living  on  the  Island,  removed  from 
restraining  home  influence,  many  of  them 
fell  into  self-indulgence  and  license.  Thus 
a system  of  concubinage  grew  up  even 
among  the  better  class  of  people. 

Among  this  class,  however,  the  women  as 
a rule  are  virtuous,  but  the  men  are  cor- 
rupt. The  fathers  and  husbands  are  very 
particular  that  their  daughters  shall  not 
go  out  unaccompanied  and  that  their  wives 
shall  be  protected,  but  they  give  themselves 
unrestrained  license.  A man  may  or  may 
not  have  a legitimate  wife  and  family,  but 
he  is  almost  sure  to  have  as  many  concu- 


Some  Census 
Figures 


Among  the 
Better  Class 


100 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


bines  as  he  is  able  to  support  and  by  whom 
he  raises  up  families  of  children. 

There  seems  to  be  little  sentiment  against 
this  custom  on  the  part  of  the  wives.  In 
some  cases  the  illegitimate  children  are 
brought  into  the  home  of  the  legitimate 
family  and  all  grow  up  together.  Usually, 
however,  they  live  in  separate  homes.  On 
the  plantations,  the  owner  frequently  acts 
as  if  he  had  absolute  possession  of  all  who 
live  on  the  estate,  and  many  of  the  women 
bear  children  who  point  him  out  as  their 
father. 


Influence  of 
Criminals 


Failure  of  the 
Church 


The  large  criminal  class  that  remained 
in  the  Island  after  having  served  their 
terms  in  the  fortresses  had  no  respect  for 
law  and  they  contributed  much  to  the  low- 
ering of  the  moral  tone  of  the  inhabitants. 

With  such  strong  forces  arrayed  against 
the  custom  of  marriage,  it  would  seem 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  church  au- 
thorities would  have  made  a strong  fight 
for  the  sanctity  of  the  home.  The  priests, 
on  the  contrary,  lent  their  influence  to  the 
foes  of  the  home,  first,  by  living  immoral 
lives  themselves,  and,  second,  by  placing  al- 
most insurmountable  barriers  in  the  way  of 
the  poor  people  who  wanted  to  marry.  It 


Morals  and  Religion  101 

is  not  putting  the  case  too  strongly  to  assert 
that  a majority  of  the  Spanish  priests  on 
the  Island  have  unsavory  reputations. 

Among  these  priests  drunkenness  is  not 
a serious  offense,  gambling  and  profane  lan- 
guage is  so  general  as  to  be  scarcely  com- 
mented upon,  and  people  only  smile  when 
the  relations  of  the  “padre”  to  the  women 
of  the  parish  are  mentioned.  Many  of  the 
priests  are  fathers  of  children,  whom  they 
partially  or  wholly  support,  and  some  of 
them  live  openly  with  women  who  rear  their 
families.  A short  time  ago  one  of  the  rich- 
est priests  appeared  before  a court  in  the 
western  part  of  the  Island,  and,  in  order 
that  his  children  might  inherit  his  property, 
he  swore  to  being  their  father — yet  the  oc- 
currence scarcely  caused  any  comment,  so 
accustomed  are  the  people  to  the  immoral- 
ity of  the  priests. 

Although  the  manner  of  the  priests’  lives 
is  well  known  to  the  ecclesiastical  authori- 
ties, there  have  seldom  been  severe  measures 
taken  to  change  the  conditions.  If  a priest 
makes  himself  obnoxious  in  a neighborhood, 
he  may  be  changed  to  another  parish,  but 
to  dismiss  him  from  the  priesthood  is  a very 
rare  procedure. 


Disreputable 

Priests 


102 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


In  addition  to  the  had  example  of  those 

church  wh0  should  have  been  their  spiritual  lead- 

Barriers  . 

ers,  the  ecclesiastical  authorities  made  it 
difficult  for  the  poor  to  get  married  because 
of  the  following  practices : 

First,  an  exorbitant  wedding  fee  was 
charged  by  the  priest.  Although  the  law  of 
1858  forbade  the  clergy  from  taking  fees  for 
the  celebration  of  the  sacraments,  the 
priests  quite  generally  disregarded  it.  1 In 
Dr.  Carroll’s  report,  we  find  that  the  aver- 
age fees  were  as  follows : Matrimony,  simple 
service,  $10.00;  more  elaborate  service, 
$16.00,  the  rates  being  increased  as  the  per- 
sons were  able  to  pay.  2 A lawyer  from 
Aguadilla  stated  that  there  the  wedding  fee 
was  as  high  as  $16.00.  3 The  Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Health  at  San  Juan  stated 
that  he  paid  $16.00  for  the  wedding  service. 
4 Another  gentleman  from  San  German  said 
that  the  wedding  service  cost  from  $12.00 
to  $16.00.  Much  other  testimony  brought 
out  the  same  facts.  In  talking  with  people 
in  all  sections  of  the  Island,  the  writer  was 
repeatedly  given  the  same  figures,  so  that 
it  would  seem  that  these  statements  can  be 
proved  by  many  witnesses.  When  it  is  kept 


•See  Report,  page  658.  3Page  663.  3Page  659.  •Page  690. 


Morals  and  Religion  103 

in  mind  that  the  ordinary  laborer  received 
about  thirty  cents  per  day  as  his  wage,  it 
will  be  seen  that,  from  a financial  stand- 
point, marriage  was  practically  impossible. 
It  is  true  that  in  some  parishes  no  fee  or 
a small  one  was  charged  to  persons  who 
were  willing  to  get  married  at  seven  o’clock 
in  the  morning.  But  as  the  evening  is  the 
regular  time  for  weddings,  and  a morning 
wedding  is  an  advertisement  of  poverty,  few 
seem  to  have  been  willing  to  avail  them- 
selves of  this  privilege. 

Second,  the  law  of  consanguinity  de- 
barred many.  Persons  were  not  allowed  to 
marry  if  they  were  related  to  within  four 
degrees,  unless  they  obtained  a special  dis- 
pensation from  the  Church.  This  would 
cost  from  $30.00  to  $50.00. 

Third,  other  Church  requirements.  These, 
perhaps,  can  best  be  stated  in  the  language 
of  Father  Montanes  to  Dr.  Carroll: 

1 “They  have  to  present  their  baptismal 
certificates  so  as  to  show  their  age,  if  they 
have  been  born  in  a different  district;  then 
they  have  to  produce  the  consent  of  their 
parents,  according  to  their  age;  then  they 
have  to  satisfy  the  priest  as  to  their  knowl- 

1 Commissioner!’  Report.  Page  693. 


Consan- 

guinity 


Other  Church 
Require- 
ments 


List  of 
Obstacles 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Obstacles  to 
Civil 

Marriage 


KD 


edge  of  Catholic  doctrine,  so  as  to  enable 
him  to  know  whether  they  are  in  a tit  state 
to  enter  Catholic  marriage;  then  the  bans 
have  to  be  proclaimed  three  successive  Sun- 
days; then  they  exact  the  confession,  as 
the  Catholic  religion  considers  marriage  a 
sacrament.  * * * If  the  parties  seeking 
marriage  are  related,  they  have  to  get  a 
dispensation  from  the  Bishop.” 

It  will  thus  be  seen  from  the  priest’s  own 
statement  that  the  Church  makes  it  quite 
difficult  for  persons  to  get  married,  even 
when  they  are  favorably  disposed  to  matri- 
mony. 

Among  the  men  of  Porto  Rico,  there  were 
many  who  were  unwilling  to  meet  the  de- 
mands of  the  Church  and  preferred  a civil 
marriage.  Such  persons  were  denounced 
from  the  pulpit  as  living  in  concubinage, 
and  were  excommunicated  from  the  Church. 
Moreover,  many  obstacles  were  put  in  the 
way  of  securing  a civil  marriage.  Here  is 
the  process  as  described  by  the  municipal 
judge  of  Arroyo  in  Dr.  Carroll’s  report: 

1 “The  expedient e necessary  for  civil  mar- 
riages consists  of,  first,  a birth  certificate; 
second,  the  document  asking  permission  to 


1 Report.  Page  G97. 


Morals  and  Religion 


105 


be  married;  third,  the  parents’  permission 
to  allow  their  children  to  be  married; 
fourth,  a document  from  the  judge  in  which 
he  says  he  knows  of  no  former  marriage  of 
the  interested  party;  fifth,  a re-statement 
of  intention  to  marry ; sixth,  the  bans  which 
have  been  published;  seventh,  a document 
stating  that  the  former  document  has  been 
published;  eighth,  the  document  in  which 
the  celebration  is  set  forth ; ninth,  the  bans 
which  were  posted  on  the  wall.” 

This  was  quite  a formidable  undertaking 
for  the  man  who  wanted  civil  marriage. 
The  priest  charged  from  $1.00  to  $1.50  for 
each  birth  certificate,  the  municipal  judge 
charged  for  drawing  up  the  expediente,  and 
if  the  birth  is  registered  there  was  another 
fee  for  the  clerk. 

Because  of  these  obstacles,  it  is  easily 
seen  that  many  who  desired  a legal  conjugal 
state  were  deprived  of  it  by  the  exorbitant 
fees,  and  by  the  time  and  trouble  demanded 
to  secure  the  necessary  documents. 

As  concubinage  became  more  common, 
and  public  disapproval  of  it  correspond- 
ingly weakened,  there  grew  up  a more  or 
less  pronounced  opposition  to  marriage 
vows.  It  was  much  more  convenient  to  be 


Influence  of 
Custom 


106 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Change  for 
the  Better 


free  to  leave  one  partner  and  select  another 
without  any  legal  complications.  The  chil- 
dren did  not  constitute  much  of  an  obstacle 
to  this  custom,  for  up  to  the  age  of  five  or 
six  they  needed  no  clothing  and  they  had 
little  difficulty  in  finding  something  to  eat. 
The  mothers  in  many  cases  known  to  me 
personally  did  not  hesitate  to  tell  the  names 
of  the  fathers  of  her  different  children,  and 
seemed  not  to  feel  that  there  was  any  dis- 
grace attached  to  such  conduct.  Of  course, 
there  are  many  couples  who  are  as  faithful 
to  each  other  as  though  the  marriage  serv- 
ice had  pronounced  them  man  and  wife,  but 
this  does  not  prove  that  it  is  the  rule,  as 
some  writers  have  been  led  to  assert. 

Since  the  American  occupation  these  non- 
moral  and  immoral  conditions  have  been 
rapidly  changing  for  the  better.  This  has 
been  brought  about  by  the  strong  opposing 
sentiment  of  the  best  Americans  who  live 
on  the  Island,  by  the  moral  teachings  of 
the  public  schools,  by  the  influence  of  the 
young  men  and  the  young  women  of  Porto 
Rico  who  finish  their  education  in  the 
United  States  and  return  to  the  Island  to 
live,  and  last,  and  perhaps  greatest  of  all, 
by  the  examples  and  teachings  of  the  many 


Morals  and  Religion 


107 


missionaries,  both  ministers  and  religious 
lay-workers,  who  have  been  sent  to  Porto 
Rico  for  the  sole  purpose  of  raising  the 
standards  of  manhood  and  womanhood. 

These  men  and  women  have  denounced 
immoral  practices  not  only  among  Porto 
Ricans,  but  also  among  Americans  living 
on  the  island,  and  have  wielded  a great  in- 
fluence in  bringing  about  a healthier  moral 
atmosphere  among  all  classes. 

II.  Catholicism 

In  her  discoveries  and  conquests,  when 
Spain  set  up  her  banner,  she  also  took  pos- 
session in  the  name  of  the  Catholic  church. 
Priests  or  friars  usually  attended  every  ex- 
pedition, and  the  church  was  established 
in  the  first  settlement.  In  Porto  Rico,  Co- 
lumbus raised  the  banner  of  Spain  and  the 
emblem  of  the  Catholic  church  in  1493,  and 
the  two  institutions  thus  represented  con- 
tinued their  close  relationship  until  the 
American  occupation  in  1898.  In  order  to 
understand  just  what  power  and  influence 
the  Church  has  exerted  in  Porto  Rico,  we 
shall  consider  her  relations,  first,  to  the 
Colonial  Government;  second,  to  the  public 
funds;  third,  to  public  instruction;  and 
fourth,  to  public  morality. 


108 


Down  in  Porto  Fuco 


Relation  to 
the  Colonial 
Government 


Supreme 

Power 


When  Bishop  Manso  arrived  in  Porto 
Rico  in  1513  as  the  first  incumbent  of  that 
office,  he  was  unable  by  moral  suasion  to 
control  the  people  and  set  up  the  authority 
of  the  church.  In  1519,  he  returned  to 
Spain  and  secured  for  himself  the  power  of 
Provincial  Inquisitor.  This  clothed  him 
with  greater  authority  than  that  possessed 
by  the  Colonial  Government.  He  at  once 
instituted  a vigorous  campaign  against 
those  who  did  not  submit  to  him.  Diego 
Torres  Vargas,  Canon  of  San  Juan  Cathe- 
dral, says  in  his  Memoirs:  “The  delin- 

quents were  brought  from  all  parts  to  be 
burned  and  punished  here.”  According  to 
Neumann,2  they  were  not  tied  to  a stake, 
but  were  enclosed  in  a hollow  plaster  cast, 
against  which  the  fagots  were  piled,  so  that 
they  were  roasted  rather  than  burned  to 
death.  This  power  was  exerted  in  Porto 
Rico  for  three  hundred  years. 

During  all  of  this  period,  from  the  in- 
vesting of  Bishop  Manso  with  the  power 
of  Provincial  Inquisitor,  in  1519,  until 
1813,  when  the  Inquisitor  ceased  to  exist 
for  a short  time  by  virtue  of  the  Spanish 


2See  Neumann,  page  205. 


109 


Morals  and  Religion 

Cortes,  no  man  was  safe  from  its  secret  in- 
fluence. That  its  power  was  greater  than 
the  crown  is  thus  set  forth  in  the  decree 
of  the  Cortes:1  “Another  notable  circum- 
stance made  the  power  of  the  Inquisitors 
General  still  more  unusual;  this  was  that, 
without  consulting  the  King  or  the  Supreme 
Pontiff,  they  dictated  laws,  changed  them, 
abolished  them,  or  substituted  them  by 
others,  so  that  there  was  within  the  nation 
a judge,  the  Inquisitor  General,  whose  pow- 
ers transcended  those  of  the  Sovereign.” 

In  the  light  of  these  facts,  it  is  apparent 
that  the  church  cannot  escape  responsibil- 
ity for  the  misgovernment  of  Porto  Rico, 
since  ecclesiastical  dignitaries  were  invested 
with  greater  powers  than  were  accorded  to 
the  civil  officers  appointed  by  the  crown. 

During  the  first  few  years  after  the  Span- 
ish conquest,  the  church  was  supported  by 
tithes  and  first  fruits — taxes  levied  and  col- 
lected directly  by  the  priests.  When  more 
money  was  needed  to  meet  the  expenses  of 
the  Church,  it  was  supplied  by  the  Govern- 
ment. The  municipalities  also  gave  to  each 
priest  within  their  immediate  vicinity  $25 
a month.  In  1501  this  plan  was  changed 


Relation  to 
the  Public 
Funds 


Priests  as 
Tax 

Collectors 


■See  Decree  of  Cortes  of  Cadiz,  1813. 


110 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Distribution 
of  Tithes 


so  that  the  King's  agents  collected  the 
taxes,  and  the  church  was  sustained  en- 
tirely from  the  royal  treasury.  The  King, 
however,  made  the  Bishop  of  Porto  Rico 
and  his  successors  his  agents  for  collecting 
the  money. 

In  1511  another  modification  provided 
that  the  tithes  should  be  distributed  as  fol- 
lows : the  Bishop,  nine  parts ; the  Dean  and 
chapter,  nine  parts;  Her  Majesty,  four 
parts;  the  Cathedral  edifice,  three  parts; 
and  the  hospitals,  three  parts.  This  man- 
ner of  distributing  the  funds  seems  to  have 
been  observed  until  1815,  when  the  King 
assumed  the  suport  of  the  church  and 
ordered  the  discontinuance  of  tithes.  First 
fruits,  however,  were  collected  until  1865. 

In  1858,  the  Queen  abolished  all  special 
fees  and  taxes  and  forbade  the  priests  from 
collecting  them.  This  order  was  quite  gen- 
erally disobeyed,  for  the  priests  still  per- 
sisted in  charging  for  baptisms,  marriages 
and  funerals,  and  they  also  received  money 
called  surplice  and  candle  fees.  The  Gov- 
ernment continued  to  pay  the  salaries  of  the 
priests  and  most  of  the  other  expenses  of 
the  church  until  1898.  The  budget  for  the* 
support  of  the  church  in  1898-1899,  the  last 


Ill 


Morals  and  Religion 


issued  by  the  Government,  was  197,945  pe- 
sos or  Mexican  dollars.  The  last  budget 
paid  by  the  Government  was  in  1897-1898 
and  was  distributed  as  follows: 


PESOS 

'Cathedral  clergy § 42,400 

Parochial  clergy 128,040 

Ecclesiastical  judiciary 4,200 

Expense  of  bulls 62c 

Conciliar  seminary 3,000 

Cathedral  and  parishes — materials 23,350 

Ecclesiastical  judiciary — materials 135 


§201,745 

Besides  these  salaries  which  were  paid  to 
the  clergy,  other  servants  of  the  church  ob- 
tained money  from  the  public  treasury.  For 
example,  sisters  of  charity  each  received  18 
pesos  a month  for  their  service  in  behalf  of 
the  poor  and  in  the  insane  asylum;  the  Es- 
colapian  Fathers  received  12,940  pesos  for 
managing  a college  in  Santurce  in  which 
each  pupil  paid  25  pesos  a month ; and  nuns 
were  paid  for  conducting  a girls’  school  in 
which  the  dues  per  scholar  were  from  35  to 
40  pesos  a month. 

Not  only  did  the  church  receive  from  the  church 
Government  an  annual  budget  for  the  sala-  Pr°Perty 
ries  of  the  clergy  and  other  church  workers, 

•Collated  by  Order  of  the  Vieario  Capitular.  See  Commissioner  Carroll’* 

Report,  page  658. 


112 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Separation 

of 

Church 
and  State 


but  the  Church  buildings  were  constructed 
in  whole  or  in  part  by  public  funds.  The 
government  or  the  municipality  would  give 
the  municipality  as  a rule  furnished  most 
of  the  money  and  a part  was  raised  by  sub- 
scription. The  municipalities  also  kept  the 
buildings  in  repair. 

When  by  American  law  there  was  a com- 
plete separation  of  church  and  state,  a dis- 
pute arose  as  to  the  ownership  of  these 
properties.  The  municipalities  in  many  in- 
stances claim  that  as  the  churches  had  been 
built  by  money  raised  through  taxation, 
they  belong  to  the  people  of  these  munici- 
palities. In  several  cases  the  authorities 
claim  that  the  churches  belong  to  the  govern- 
ment and  are  now  United  States  property. 
The  Catholic  authorities,  however,  insist 
that  all  these  buildings  belong  to  the  church, 
since  they  have  held  them  undisturbed  for 
over  twenty  years,  which  fact  gives  them  a 
valid  title.  Moreover,  some  of  the  property 
which  had  been  confiscated  by  and  belonged 
to  the  Spanish  Crown  and  was  transferred 
to  the  American  Government,  is  claimed  by 
the  Catholic  church  because  it  had  originally 
been  built  for  them.  All  of  these  cases  are 
now  in  court  awaiting  a legal  decision. 

All  Government  support  of  the  church 


Morals  anrl  Religion 


113 


ceased  when  Porto  Rico  became  a part  of  the 
United  States.  The  Catholic  church  here, 
like  in  other  lands  where  church  and  state 
are  entirely  separate,  finds  it  quite  a hard- 
ship to  be  compelled  to  keep  her  hands  out 
of  the  public  treasury. 

Prior  to  1815  non-Catholics  were  not  per- 
mitted in  Porto  Rico.  The  “Act  of  Grace” 
of  that  year  admitted  many  Protestants  to 
the  Island,  but  the  restrictions  imposed 
upon  them  the  following  year  and  continued 
during  the  Spanish  rule  placed  them  at  a 
great  disadvantage.  At  the  time  of  the 
American  occupation  there  were  only  two 
Protestant  churches  in  Porto  Rico — one  at 
Ponce  and  the  other  at  Vieques,  both  under 
the  direction  of  the  Church  of  England. 

It  follows  that  the  Catholic  church  must 
be  held  responsible  for  the  religious  teach- 
ing or  the  lack  of  it  among  the  people  of 
Porto  Rico.  That  it  has  done  much  good, 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt.  That  it  has 
been  notoriously  derelict  in  duty  and  cor- 
rupt in  its  organization,  the  facts  of  history 
abundantly  prove. 

It  is  true  that  the  Government  built 
churches  in  every  large  town  and  in  most 
of  the  smaller  towns  of  the  Island,  and 


Attitude 

Toward 

Protestants 


Relation  to 

Public 

Instruction 


Neglect  of 

Rural 

Population 


114 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Failure  to 
Educate 


services  were  maintained  in  them,  but  when 
it  is  remembered  that  over  75  per  cent  of 
the  population  is  rural  and  that  there  are 
large  numbers  of  mountain  villages  where 
no  religious  services  have  ever  been  held, 
and  no  effort  put  forth  by  the  church  to 
instruct  these  people,  it  is  apparent  to  the 
casual  observer  that  a large  portion  of  the 
population  has  been  neglected.  There  are 
many  thousands  of  Porto  Ricans  who  were 
never  inside  a church  before  Protestantism 
entered  the  Island. 

As  a church  she  must  be  held  responsible 
for  the  ignorance  of  the  great  masses  of 
Porto  Ricans,  for  she  has  always  claimed 
the  right  to  educate  her  children.  Notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  church  and  state 
were  practically  one  in  Porto  Rico,  the  cen- 
sus of  1899  shows  that  out  of  659,294  who 
were  over  ten  years  of  age,  524,878,  or  79 
per  cent,  were  unable  to  read  and  write. 
Yet,  in  the  face  of  this  stupendous  failure, 
the  Bishop  of  Porto  Rico  has  the  audacity 
to  oppose  the  public  school  system  as  in- 
troduced by  the  American  Government.  It 
is  to  the  credit  of  the  Porto  Ricans  that 
they  disregard  the  advice  of  their  eccle- 
siastical counselors,  and  the  public  schools 


Hormigueros 

Guayama 


Catholic  Churches 


Morals  and  Religion 


115 


are  overflowing  with  children  whose  parents 
are  anxious  for  them  to  secure  an  educa- 
tion. 

The  Catholic  church  has  also  encouraged 
indolence.  As  stated  before,  Porto  Rico  ob- 
served, besides  Sundays,  forty  legal  holi- 
days which  were  prescribed  by  the  church. 
On  these  days  business  of  all  kinds  was 
practically  suspended  and  the  natives  gave 
themselves  to  having  a good  time. 

Here,  as  in  other  Catholic  countries,  the 
Church  took  advantage  of  the  ignorance 
and  credulity  of  the  masses.  A number 
of  myths  were  taught  by  the  church  and 
accepted  by  the  superstitious  and  simple- 
minded  people  as  miraculous  manifesta- 
tions of  supernatural  power.  One  of  the 
chief  of  these  in  Porto  Rico  is  the  legend 
of  Monserrate.  As  the  story  goes,  a man 
was  plowing  in  the  field  near  Hormigueros 
when  the  ox  which  he  was  driving  turned 
and  commenced  goring  him.  In  his  distress 
he  prayed  to  the  Virgin  Mary  for  help  and 
immediately  the  ox  fell  to  the  ground  with 
his  legs  broken.  The  Virgin  then  appeared 
to  the  man,  who  in  gratitude  promised  to  do 
whatever  she  commanded.  Later  she  ap- 
peared to  him  again  and  ordered  him  to 
build  a church  on  the  hill  for  the  purpose 


Indolence 

Encouraged 


Superstition 

Taught 


Relation  to 

Public 

Morality 


116  Down  in  Porto  Eico 

of  miraculous  healing.  He  erected  it  ac- 
cording to  her  orders,  on  a sharp  peak, 
where  it  stands  prominently  before  the 
people  of  the  adjacent  town  and  country, 
and  named  it  “The  Church  of  our  Lady  of 
Monserrate.”  Here  the  poor  deluded  people 
from  all  parts  of  the  Island  come  to  seek 
relief  from  their  sufferings.  They  present 
gifts  suggestive  of  their  infirmities.  Silver 
or  gold  limbs  or  other  members  of  the  body, 
eyes  of  precious  stones,  and  numerous  ar- 
ticles of  great  value  have  been  presented  to 
the  church,  so  that  it  has  become  wealthy. 
The  interior  is  richly  adorned  with  these 
gifts  or  with  articles  made  from  them.  The 
altar  weighing  sixty-six  pounds,  made  of 
solid  silver,  and  a solid  gold  candlestick 
weighing  fourteen  pounds,  have  been 
moulded  from  the  gifts  of  persons  seeking 
divine  healing.  It  is  claimed  that  the  or- 
naments in  the  church  are  valued  at  more 
than  $100,000. 

In  addition  to  the  constant  stream  of  per- 
sons seeking  relief,  the  Church  organizes 
an  annual  pilgrimage  to  this  shrine.  Ex- 
cursions are  run  from  all  parts  of  the 
Island,  priests  urge  their  parishioners  to  at- 
tend, thousands  of  pilgrims  make  their  way 


Morals  and  Religion 


117 


to  this  holy  place,  where  the  Bishop  and 
other  high  ecclesiastics  address  them.  Many 
cures  are  reported,  and  incidentally  much 
gold  and  silver  flows  into  the  Church  cof- 
fers. Superstitions  of  this  kind  can  only 
be  made  to  disappear  as  the  darkness  of 
ignorance  gives  place  to  the  dawn  of  educa- 
tion and  intelligence. 

We  have  shown  in  our  chapter  on  Moral 
Conditions  that,  after  making  due  allow- 
ance for  the  floating  Spanish  population 
who  expected  to  return  to  Spain,  and  who 
during  their  sojourn  in  Porto  Rico  gave  rein 
to  their  baser  appetites;  and  after  consider- 
ing the  criminal  classes,  who  made  their 
homes  here  and  helped  to  corrupt  the  na- 
tives, it  must  be  admitted  by  the  student  of 
social  conditions  that  the  Church  is  to 
blame  to  a very  great  extent  for  the  immoral 
status  of  this  people.  By  their  impure 
lives,  the  priests  have  caused  the  people 
to  err  in  their  judgment  of  moral  stand- 
ards. By  allowing  immoral  men  and  women 
to  remain  as  communicants,  the  Church  au- 
thorities condoned  their  offenses.  By  put- 
ting barriers  in  the  way  of  legal  matrimony, 
it  encouraged  a widespread  system  of  con- 
cubinage. By  the  failure  of  the  priests  to 


118 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


teach  their  parishoners  the  vital  relation 
between  religion  and  daily  life,  they  have 
given  them  a wrong  conception  as  to  what 
constitutes  true  religion.  Attending  mass 
and  confession,  joining  in  the  religious  pro- 
cessions and  observing  “fiesta”  days  by  re- 
fraining from  labor,  giving  due  reverence 
to  the  priests,  conforming  to  certain  cus- 
toms when  within  the  church — these  seem 
to  represent  the  accepted  ideas  of  what  re- 
ligion has  meant  to  average  Porto  Ricans. 
That  they  did  not  learn  the  true  moral  sig- 
nificance of  Christianity  must  be  charged  to 
the  false  doctrines  and  the  bad  example 
of  their  spiritual  teachers — the  priests  of 
the  Catholic  church. 

III.  Pbotestantism 

With  the  advent  of  the  American  in 
Porto  Rico  came  liberty  of  religious  thought 
and  opportunity  to  worship  according  to  the 
inclination  of  the  individual.  Different 
Protestant  denominations  sent  their  repre- 
sentatives to  the  field  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  their  work  on  the  Island.  It 
was  evident  that  some  kind  of  an  arrange- 
ment should  be  made  whereby  they  could 
work  together  harmoniously  and  to  the 
best  advantage.  The  different  Missionary 


Morals  and  Religion 


119 


Boards  took  up  the  question  and  agreed  in 
a general  way  as  to  the  plan  of  campaign. 

In  the  first  place,  it  was  decided  that  the 
two  chief  cities,  San  Juan  and  Ponce,  should 
be  open  to  all  denominations  for  whatever 
work  they  cared  to  begin.  In  the  second 
place,  the  Island  was  divided  up  among  the 
Presbyterians,  Methodists,  Baptists  and 
Congregationalists,  with  due  provision  for 
the  work  of  other  denominations.  In  a 
general  way  the  Presbyterians  were  held 
responsible  for  the  evangelization  of  the 
western  section  of  the  Island,  the  Congre- 
gationalists the  eastern  section,  and  the 
Methodists  and  Baptists  the  great  central 
section.  In  the  third  place,  it  was  under- 
stood that  whenever  any  evangelical  de- 
nomination entered  a town  or  village  and 
maintained  regular  preaching  services,  the 
other  denominations  would  not  intrude. 
This  last  rule  has  applied  to  all  evangelical 
denominations  doing  missionary  work  in 
Porto  Rico,  and  has  proved  to  be  a bene- 
ficial arrangement.  Large  and  small  de- 
nominations are  both  protected  from  undue 
rivalry  and  from  waste  of  energy. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  Prot- 
estant missionaries  were  received  with  hos- 


A Working 
Plan 


The 

Propaganda 


120 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


tility  on  the  part  of  the  Roman  priesthood. 
The  people  were  told  about  these  heretics 
and  the  ruin  they  would  bring  to  the  coun- 
try. Religious  services  were  frequently  in- 
terrupted and  the  missionary  was  often  an 
object  of  hatred  by  those  who  were  in- 
fluenced by  the  ecclesiastical  leaders.  The 
faithful  were  warned  not  to  go  near  the 
Protestant  services,  and  dire  threats  were 
made  to  those  who  attended  regardless  of 
the  warnings  of  the  priests.  This  seems 
rather  to  have  helped  than  to  have  hindered 
the  work  of  the  missionary.  The  people 
early  learned  that  the  priest  under  the 
American  Government  does  not  have  the 
power  that  he  possessed  under  Spanish 
rule.  They  found  out  that  it  was  perfectly 
safe  for  them  to  attend  religious  services  of 
any  kind  without  fear  of  punishment.  As 
a result,  whenever  a preaching  place  was 
opened,  the  people  in  large  numbers 
thronged  the  house  to  hear  what  the  min- 
ister had  to  say  and  to  take  part  in  singing 
Gospel  hymns.  At  first  it  was  largely  a 
matter  of  curiosity  that  brought  the  people, 
but  as  they  kept  on  coming  they  became 
interested  in  the  services,  and  large  num- 


Morals  and  Religion 


121 


bers  enrolled  themselves  as  candidates  for 
Church  membership. 

One  of  the  chief  attractions  of  Protestant 
services  was  the  singing  of  Gospel  songs. 
The  people  had  not  been  accustomed  to 
singing  either  church  music  or  popular 
songs.  In  the  Catholic  church,  they  were 
used  to  hearing  the  chants  and  to  take  some 
part  in  singing  them  in  the  Latin  language. 
The  enthusiastic  singing  of  hymns  written 
in  Spanish,  with  a message  in  the  words 
that  was  readily  understood  and  that  ap- 
pealed strongly  to  their  emotional  nature, 
was  a decided  contrast  to  anything  that  they 
had  previously  known.  Those  who  came  out 
of  curiosity  soon  wanted  to  join  in  the  sing- 
ing, and  once  they  had  found  out  how  easy 
it  was  to  learn  these  songs,  they  became 
more  deeply  interested  and  more  regular  in 
their  attendance.  The  Church  music  of  the 
Protestants  has  been  and  is  still  a strong 
factor  in  bringing  the  people  to  the  religious 
services  and  in  leading  them  to  become 
members  of  the  church. 

The  ministers  insisted  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  build  up  a Christian  nation  without 
first  having  Christian  homes.  No  matter 
what  professions  men  or  women  made  as 
to  conversion  or  change  of  life,  they  would 


The  Power 
of  Song 


12  2 


Down  m Porto  Rico 


A Moral 
Force 


not  be  received  into  the  church  until  they 
were  willing  to  marry  the  companion  that 
he  or  she  had  been  living  with  illegally  for 
years.  The  pastors  made  no  charges  for 
performing  the  marriage  ceremony,  and  in 
many  cases  put  themselves  to  great  incon- 
venience to  secure  the  necessary  legal  pa- 
pers so  that  there  might  be  no  obstruction 
placed  in  the  way  of  marriage.  As  a re- 
sult of  this  attitude,  large  numbers  of  men 
and  women  all  over  the  Island  were  legally 
joined  together,  and  thus  placed  not  only 
themselves  but  their  children  in  a position 
of  honor  where  before  they  had  been  living 
in  dishonor,  even  though  there  was  little 
public  sentiment  against  such  conduct.  The 
Protestant  church  has  emphasized  the  sanc- 
tity of  home  life  in  a way  that  was  never 
known  before  to  the  people  of  this  Island. 

Not  only  has  Protestantism  been  a great 
moral  force  in  the  Island  by  virtue  of  estab- 
lishing legal  homes  among  the  people,  but 
by  its  firm  stand  against  immoral  social 
conditions  it  has  done  much  to  purify  the 
moral  atmosphere.  It  has  preached  in  no 
uncertain  tones  against  the  system  of  con- 
cubinage and  of  impurity  of  life  among  all 
classes.  It  has  refused  to  take  men  and 


Representatives  of  Protestantism 
An  Itinerant  Preacher 
A Modern  Church 


Morals  and  Religion  ] 33 

women  into  its  membership  who  have  been 
guilty  of  immoral  practices  until  they  have 
shown  evidence  of  a complete  change  of 
life,  and  have  been  willing  so  far  as  lay  in 
their  power  to  right  the  wrongs  they  had 
committed. 

To  raise  a high  moral  standard  of  this 
kind  among  people  who  had  been  used  to 
impurity  of  life  in  its  priesthood,  among 
the  so-called  higher  classes,  and  quite  gen- 
erally among  the  lower  classes,  required 
great  moral  courage.  One  of  the  highest 
tributes  that  can  be  paid  to  the  Porto  Rican 
people  is  that  they  have  responded  to  these 
appeals  to  their  noblest  nature,  and  the 
standards  thus  set  up  have  called  forth  the 
devotion  and  loyalty  of  many  thousands  of 
Porto  Ricans  who  show  by  their  lives  that 
they  are  earnestly  striving  to  live  up  to  this 
higher  life  that  has  been  opened  to  their 
view. 

So  energetic  have  the  missionaries  been  Pro§Te 
in  extending  their  work,  and  so  eager  have 
the  people  been  to  receive  them,  that  there 
is  not  a city  or  large  town  and  not  many 
villages  where  Protestant  services  are  not 
held  regularly. 

That  Protestantism  is  having  a strong 


124 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Influence 
on  Character 


influence  in  developing  character  is  evident 
on  all  sides.  Men  who  were  given  to  drink- 
ing rum  have  become  total  abstainers. 
Gamblers  have  been  changed  into  honest 
men.  Great  changes  have  taken  place 
among  men  and  women  with  respect  to  the 
kind  of  language  they  use  and  to  truthful- 
ness of  speech.  Greatest  of  all,  high  stand- 
ards of  morality  have  been  set  up  that  are 
having  a wonderful  influence  in  attracting 
the  people  from  the  filth  of  social  impurity 
to  the  beauty  of  a pure  life.  Through  Protest- 
ant agencies,  assisted  and  strengthened  by 
the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge,  Porto 
Rico  is  rapidly  being  regenerated,  and  her 
children  will  soon  be  as  intelligent  and  as 
moral  as  those  of  any  other  part  of  the 
Great  Republic. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Industrial  and  Political  Situation 
I.  Industrial  Conditions 


The  chief  occupation  of  the  Porto  Ricans 
is  agriculture  and  stock  raising.  The  Island 
is  especially  adapted  to  these  pursuits,  since 
the  soil  is  fertile,  the  climate  is  mild,  and 
there  is  an  abundance  of  rain. 

There  is  but  little  manufacturing  carried 
on  here,  for  during  the  Spanish  regime  the 
policy  pursued  was  to  keep  the  Porto  Ricans 
from  making  anything  for  themselves  that 
could  be  manufactured  in  Spain.  This 
benefited  the  workingmen  and  merchants 
of  Spain  at  the  expense  of  the  Porto  Ricans. 

There  was  not  much  work  for  the  artisans 
of  the  Island,  since  there  was  but  little 
building  activity  to  engage  masons,  carpen- 
ters, painters,  etc.,  and  there  were  several 
times  as  many  men  in  all  the  other  trades 
as  the  needs  of  the  people  demanded. 

Almost  all  of  the  remunerative  positions 
were  closed  to  the  natives  and  were  filled 
by  Spaniards.  With  but  few  exceptions 
the  merchants  and  their  clerks,  the  land- 
125 


Agriculture 


Manufactories 


Good  Positions 
Held  by  Span- 
iards 


12G 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Wages  of 
Laborers 


owners  and  their  overseers,  claimed  Spain 
as  their  home  and  remained  in  Porto  Rico 
for  the  sake  of  gain  and  with  the  expecta- 
tion of  returning  to  their  native  land.  Thus 
both  in  agriculture  and  commerce  the  door 
of  opportunity  was  closed  to  the  Porto  Ri- 
can. If  he  turned  his  face  toward  civil, 
military  or  professional  life,  he  received  but 
little  encouragement,  for  the  officers  of  the 
Government,  the  soldiers  of  the  Island,  the 
school  teachers  and  the  priests  were,  as  a 
rule,  Spaniards.  About  the  only  thing  left 
for  the  natives  was  the  menial  service  of 
country  and  town. 

This  class  of  labor  brought  from  thirty 
to  fifty  cents  a day,  Mexican  money.  Even 
then  the  laborer  did  not  have  regular 
work,  and  on  some  of  the  plantations  he 
received  his  meagre  pay  in  tickets  on  the 
owner’s  store,  where  prices  were  often  ex- 
orbitant. These  facts  explain  why  out  of 
a population  of  a million  people  more  than 
three  fourths  of  them  lived  in  poverty. 
Without  means  to  buy  nourishing  food,  they 
subsisted  on  such  fruits  and  vegetables  as 
they  could  secure,  and,  as  they  were  able, 
they  added  rice  and  salt  codfish  to  their 
frugal  fare.  The  pangs  of  hunger  were 


Industrial  Scenes 
Wholesale  Street  in  San  Juan 
Preparing  a Field  for  Cane 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  127 


often  relieved  by  the  use  of  rum  or  tobacco, 
and  the  result  of  such  a mode  of  life  is  now 
discernible  in  the  weak  and  anaemic  condi- 
tion of  great  numbers  of  the  poor. 

1 The  census  of  1899  shows  that  out  of  a 
population  of  about  half  a million  of  per- 
sons of  working  age,  198,761  were  engaged 
in  agriculture,  mining  and  fishing.  It  is 
estimated  that  less  than  1,000  were  engaged 
in  the  two  latter  classes,  leaving  about  197,- 
761  agriculturists.  There  were  64,819  non- 
agriculturist  laborers;  26,515  engaged  in 
manufacturing  and  trades;  24,076  in  com- 
merce and  transportation;  and  2,194  in  the 
profession  class.  There  were  unemployed 
183,635 — one-third  of  whom  were  men  and 
two  thirds  women.  These  figures  show  that 
about  63  per  cent  of  the  persons  employed 
in  any  regular  pursuit  were  agriculturists. 
The  people  depended  almost  wholly  upon 
the  soil  for  their  support.  Every  portion  of 
the  Island  is  capable  of  being  cultivated 
from  the  seashore  to  the  tops  of  the  hills. 
Notwithstanding  this  favorable  natural  con- 
dition, out  of  a total  area  of  2 2,347,520 
acres,  only  464,361  acres,  or  20  per  cent,  are 


Occupation  of 
Porto  Bico 


1 Census  1899 

3 See  Governor’s  Report,  page  38,  1901 


128 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Poor 

Roads 


under  cultivation.  Poor  roads,  an  absent 
or  unsympathetic  landlord  class,  and  a pov- 
erty-stricken peasant  class  are  chiefly  re- 
sponsible for  the  existence  of  this  unfor- 
tunate agricultural  condition. 

The  Commissioner  of  Interior  in  his  re-1 
port  to  the  Governor  in  1901  states  that  the 
principal  cause  of  these  conditions  is  due 
to  the  poor  roads.  He  says : 1 “I  lack  com- 
mand of  language  to  express  concisely  and 
within  the  scope  of  this  report  the  impor- 
tance of  good  roads  and  bridges  to  the  fu- 
ture development  of  the  material  interests 
of  the  Island,  the  prosperity  and  happiness 
of  the  people.  Spanish  officials  promised 
a great  deal  and  planned  much,  but  exe- 
cuted very  little.  As  a result,  the  desire 
of  the  wealthy  and  favored  few  to  keep  the 
masses  poor  and  dependent,  that  the  price 
of  labor  might  ever  be  low,  was  surely  ac- 
complished. 

“An  observant  American  coming  to  Porto 
Rico  and  visiting  the  interior,  revels  in  ad- 
miration of  the  magnificent  scenery,  and  is 
duly  impressed  by  evidences  of  the  exuber- 
ant fertility  of  the  soil  and  its  adaptability 


1 See  Governor’s  Report,  1901,  page  315 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  129 


to  the  cultivation  of  all  sorts  of  tropical 
products.  He  meets  the  people  by  the  way, 
and  if  at  first  he  wonders  why,  amidst  such 
surroundings,  so  many  people  should  ap- 
pear to  be  victims  of  hunger  and  starva- 
tion, he  learns  without  asking  that  the  chief 
cause  for  the  non-employment  of  labor,  for 
abandoned  or  scantily  cultivated  farms  and 
untouched  areas  of  land  presenting  a jungle 
of  trees,  plants  and  vines  in  mute  testimony 
of  its  richness,  lies  in  the  impossibility  of 
reaching  a market  with  the  products  of  the 
soil.”  Poor  roads,  however,  do  not  give  a 
full  explanation. 

1 With  all  the  untilled  acres  of  fertile 
land,  the  staple  food  of  the  people,  rice, 
which  can  be  raised  in  Porto  Rico,  was  the 
chief  article  of  import.  In  1897  about 
78,000,000  pounds  of  rice  were  imported 
into  this  Island.  This  had  to  be  carried 
into  the  interior  over  roads  that  were  con- 
sidered too  bad  to  bring  products  to  market. 
While  poor  roads  contributed  to  the  de- 
plorable economic  condition,  the  chief  cause, 
in  our  judgment,  is  found  in  the  fact  that 
there  was  scarcely  any  middle  class.  The 


1 See  Estadistica  General,  1897 


130 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Americans 

Welcomed 


The  Coffee 
Trade 


population  consisted  of  wealthy  land-owners 
and  the  dependent  poverty-stricken  laborers 
who  were  kept  down  by  those  in  power. 

Such  were  the  class  distinctions  and  the 
unfavorable  industrial  conditions  that  ex- 
isted in  Porto  Rico  when  Spanish  rule, 
which  had  lasted  for  over  four  centuries, 
came  to  an  end  and  the  American  Republic 
assumed  control. 

The  Americans  were  gladly  welcomed  by 
the  Porto  Ricans  because  they  represented 
liberty,  prosperity  and  opportunity.  This 
feeling  of  cordiality  in  large  measure  has 
been  supplanted  by  one  of  discontent  or 
open  hostility.  What  has  caused  this 
change?  The  United  States  has  done  much 
for  this  people,  educationally  and  morally, 
which  we  have  already  discussed  in  pre- 
vious chapters.  What  she  has  done  politic- 
ally, we  shall  take  up  later  on.  At  this 
point,  avc  shall  consider  the  question,  What 
has  been  the  result  of  American  rule  upou 
the  industrial  conditions? 

The  three  great  crops  of  the  Island  are 
coffee,  tobacco,  and  sugar.  1 In  1897,  the 
value  of  the  coffee  exported  was  12,222,600 
pesos.  Spain  received  almost  one  third  of 


1 See  Estadistica  General  1S97 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  131 


this  amount,  or  a value  of  3,5G3,921  pesos. 
Other  European  countries  bought  the  re- 
mainder with  the  exception  of  about  one 
five-hundredth  part,  valued  at  24,957  pesos, 
which  was  received  by  the  United  States. 
The  important  coffee  market  for  Porto  Rico 
was  Spain,  the  United  States  buying  so 
little  Porto  Rican  coffee  that  it  need 
scarcely  be  considered. 

Shortly  after  Spain  relinquished  her  pos- 
session of  Porto  Rico,  she  placed  a tariff  on 
coffee  from  the  Island,  which  was  not  quite 
prohibitive,  but  which  was  disastrous  to  the 
coffee  industry.  Prices  paid  for  coffee  in 
Porto  Rico  were  so  low  that  the  planters 
could  scarcely  afford  to  market  the  berries. 
This  worked  great  hardship  among  the  la- 
borers, many  of  whom  were  thrown  out  of 
employment,  and  large  numbers  could 
hardly  earn  enough  money  to  keep  them 
from  starving.  1 The  value  of  the  coffee 
exported  in  1901  was  $3,195,662  as  against 
an  average  value  of  annual  shipment  from 
1892  to  1896  of  $10,872,000. 

In  addition  to  the  distress  caused  by  the 
loss  of  their  market,  the  coffee  planters  suf- 
fered a great  disaster  through  the  hurri- 


Coffee 

Market 

Lost 


Coffee 

Crops 

Injurea 


1 Governor'*  Report,  1903,  page  34 


132 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


cane  of  1899.  The  storm  swept  over  the 
Island  with  such  fury  that  coffee  trees  were 
destroyed,  buildings  were  blown  down, 
much  of  the  soil  on  the  coffee  plantations 
was  washed  down  into  the  valleys,  and  the 
coffee  industry  was  paralyzed.  Many  of  the 
planters  had  mortgaged  their  crops  and 
were  unable  to  secure  more  money  to  put 
their  farms  in  repair.  This  resulted  in  great 
additions  to  the  already  large  army  of  the 
unemployed.  Because  of  these  two  great 
blows  to  the  coffee  industry,  economic  con- 
ditions have  been  much  depressed  through- 
out the  Island. 

It  is  true  that  these  conditions  have  been 
much  relieved  by  the  increased  activity  in 
the  sugar  industry,  but  the  area  of  the  cane- 
fields  is  very  limited  compared  with  that  de- 
voted to  the  growing  of  coffee.  In  1897,  the 
value  of  the  sugar  exported  was  over  $4,000,- 
000,  while  in  1902-3,  the  value  had  in- 
creased to  over  $7,500,000.  This  has  helped 
to  counteract  the  financial  distress  caused 
by  the  disasters  to  the  coffee  crop. 

There  has  also  been  a considerable  amount 
of  American  money  invested  in  fruit  farms. 
It  is  too  early  to  state  whether  these  ven- 
tures will  prove  successful  or  not,  since  time 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  133 

enough  has  not  yet  elapsed  to  produce  fruit- 
bearing  trees.  If  fruit  farms  are  scientific- 
ally cultivated  in  Porto  Eico,  and  adequate 
transportation  facilities  are  afforded,  there 
seems  to  be  no  reason  why  this  tropical  Is- 
land lying  so  near  to  the  New  York  market 
should  not  become  rich  as  a producer  of 
tropical  fruits  and  vegetables. 

There  has  been  quite  an  increase  in  the 
amount  of  tobacco  grown  and  exported  since 
the  American  occupation.  This  crop  is  con- 
tinually enlarging  and  adding  to  the  wealth 
of  the  Island.  Normal  commercial  condi- 
tions, however,  have  not  yet  been  reached. 
This  is  shown  by  comparison  of  the  value  of 
imports  and  exports  in  different  years.  1 In 
1897,  the  exports  amounted  to  $18,574,678, 
and  the  imports  to  $17,858,063,  giving  a 
trade  balance  of  $716,615  in  favor  of  Porto 
Eico.  Every  year  after  this  until  1903,  the 
trade  balance  was  against  her.  In  1903,  the 
value  of  imports  was  $14,179,575,  and  the 
value  of  exports  $14,866,644,  giving  for  the 
first  time  under  American  rule  a balance  of 
trade  in  favor  of  the  Island.  Even  with  this 
very  great  improvement  over  the  other  years 
of  American  occupation,  it  will  be  noticed 


1 Governor’s  Report  1903.  page  22 


134 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


that  both  imports  and  exports  fall  short 
more  than  three  and  a half  million  dollars 
apiece  of  what  they  were  for  the  last  year 
that  Spain  ruled. 

If,  in  the  prosperous  year  of  1897,  there 
were  nearly  200,000  persons  unemployed,  it 
can  readily  be  seen  that  this  number  was 
greatly  augmented  during  these  years  of 
hard  times.  It  is,  therefore,  scarcely  to  be 
wondered  at  that  these  persons  blame  the 
ruling  power  for  the  cause  of  their  poverty 
and  their  distress.  This  is  only  human  na- 
ture and  what  we  could  logically  expect  in 
any  country.  It  is  not  just  to  dismiss  the 
complaints  and  the  grievances  of  the  Porto 
Ricans  by  calling  them  ingrates  and  incap- 
able of  appreciating  what  has  been  done  for 
them.  The  cause  of  the  strong  anti-Ameri- 
can feeling  that  is  found  among  some  classes 
of  Porto  Ricans  is  due  very  largely  to  eco- 
nomic conditions  which  would  influence  the 
people  of  any  other  land  in  much  the  same 
way. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  must  not  forget 
that  the  United  States  has  done  much  to 
relieve  these  unfortunate  conditions.  In  the 
Organic  Act  approved  April  12,  1900,  it  was 
provided  1 “That  the  duties  and  taxes  col- 


1 Organic  Act,  Section  4 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  135 

lected  in  Porto  Rico  in  pursuance  of  this 
Act,  less  the  cost  of  collecting  the  same,  and 
the  gross  amount  of  all  collections  of  duties 
and  taxes  in  the  United  States  upon  articles 
of  merchandise  coming  from  Porto  Rico, 
shall  not  be  covered  into  the  general  fund 
of  the  Treasury,  but  shall  be  held  as  a sepa- 
rate fund,  and  shall  be  placed  at  the  disposal 
of  the  President  to  be  used  for  the  govern- 
ment and  benefit  of  Porto  Rico.”  Congress 
voted  $2,000,000  for  the  refunding  of  the 
duties  paid  from  1898  to  this  date. 

Thus  the  Government  provided  that  cus-  Useoi 
toms  receipts  which  are  used  in  the  United  tki8GlU 
States  for  Federal  purposes  only,  should  in 
this  case  be  used  for  local  needs.  The  first 
appropriation  was  the  sum  of  1 $200,000 
which  was  paid  to  the  treasurer  of  Porto 
Rico,  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Education  for  school  extension  in 
Porto  Rico.  This  has  been  added  to  until  in 
1904,  the  amount  used  in  building  school- 
houses  was  over  half  a million  dollars.2  The 
rest  of  this  fund  was  devoted  chiefly  to  the 
building  of  good  roads.  This  gift  from  the 
national  treasury  to  the  treasury  of  Porto 
Rico  ought  to  be,  and  no  doubt  is,  duly  ap- 
preciated. The  Commissioner  of  Interior 


1 Governor’s  Report,  1004,  page  33 

2 Governor's  Report,  1901,  page  279 


13G 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Continued 

Favors 


A Harmful 
Restriction 


stated  that  good  roads  were  an  absolute 
necessity  to  the  prosperity  of  the  Island. 
The  Commissioner  of  Education  pointed  out 
the  fact  that  Spain  only  gave  one  school 
building  in  Porto  Rico  to  the  American 
Government,  and  he  emphasized  the  imme- 
diate need  of  constructing  schoolhouses. 
The  liberality  of  the  Federal  Government 
has  made  possible  the  construction  of  more 
than  twice  as  many  miles  of  good  roads  as 
Spain  built  during  four  hundred  years  of 
occupancy.  It  has  also  resulted  in  the  dot- 
ting of  the  whole  Island  with  schoolhouses 
where  the  children  can  be  comfortably  seated 
and  be  given  an  American  public  school 
education. 

Nor  has  the  United  States  Government 
been  satisfied  with  extending  this  much 
assistance.  She  has  provided  that  all  the 
regular  customs  receipts  of  Porto  Rico  shall 
be  applied  annually  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Islanders.  This  is  a favor  that  has  not  been 
granted  to  any  other  part  of  the  United 
States.  In  this  respect  Porto  Rico  has  been 
most  kindly  considered  by  the  National 
Government. 

In  April  1900,  Congress,  with  the  best  of 
motives,  provided  for  the  protection  of  the 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  137 

Porto  Ricans  from  greedy  corporations.  It 
was  thought  that  the  land  of  Porto  Rico 
should  be  owned  by  her  own  people  and  not 
by  large  land  companies.  It  was,  therefore, 
enacted  that  no  corporation  should  control 
more  than  500  acres  of  land,  and  any  per- 
son owning  a share  in  one  agricultural  cor- 
poration was  prohibited  from  owning  any 
stock  of  another  corporation  engaged  in 
agriculture.  Instead  of  a blessing,  this  has 
proved  a curse  to  the  Island.  Porto  Ricans 
were  too  poor  to  develop  the  land  them- 
selves, and  wThat  was  needed  most  was  for- 
eign capital.  But  capital  was  unwilling  to 
go  to  Porto  Rico  under  these  restrictions. 

To  profitably  run  a sugar  plantation  and 
mill  from  5,000  acres  to  20,000  acres  are 
needed.  Large  tracts  of  land  are  also  needed 
for  tobacco,  coffee  and  fruit  farms.  Amer- 
ican capital  has  been  invested  in  some  of 
these  enterprises,  but  they  have  had  to  vio- 
late the  spirit,  if  not  the  letter,  of  this  pro- 
hibitive law.  In  the  light  of  its  results,  it 
is  eminently  desirable  that  this  harmful 
restriction  should  at  once  be  removed. 

Porto  Rico  has  made  several  requests  of  Requests 
the  United  States  that  have  not  been  n°tGrant0d 


138 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Agricultural 

Loan 


granted,  but  this  is  not  due  to  want  of  in- 
terest, or  lack  of  desire  to  improve  the  eco- 
nomic condition  of  Porto  Rico,  but  because 
the  petitions  were  not  in  accord  with  the 
policy  of  the  Government. 

For  example,  to  help  the  coffee  growers, 
two  plans  were  proposed.  One  was  to  have 
the  United  States  place  a tariff  on  coffee 
imported  from  foreign  countries.  This 
would  tax  all  coffee  drinkers  in  the  nation 
for  the  sake  of  providing  a market  for  the 
coffee  of  Porto  Rico,  Hawaii  and  the  Philip- 
pines, which  produce  but  a small  percent- 
age of  the  total  amount  imported  into  the 
United  States.  The  other  proposal  was  for 
the  Federal  Government  to  pay  a bounty 
on  coffee  raised  in  Porto  Rico.  Neither  of 
these  propositions  commended  themselves  to 
the  people  of  the  United  States  and  no 
special  help  has  been  afforded  the  coffee 
planters.  What  would  seem  to  be  a saner 
solution  of  this  problem  would  be  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  coffee  plantations  according 
to  modern  methods  so  that  the  output  could 
be  largely  increased  and  the  planter  be 
placed  in  a position  where  he  could  compete 
in  the  different  coffee  markets  of  the  world. 

Another  movement  that  was  very  popu- 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  139 


lar  among  the  Porto  Ricans  was  the  effort 
to  secure  a large  insular  loan  for  the  pro- 
motion of  agriculture.  This  loan  was  to  be 
made  directly  by  Congress  or  by  private 
parties  with  the  consent  of  Congress.  The 
movement  failed  because  the  Insular  Coun- 
cil and  the  House  of  Delegates  could  not 
agree  upon  a plan  for  the  distribution  of 
the  funds  in  case  they  could  be  secured. 

That  Porto  Rico  needs  help  in  secur-  a Problem 
ing  better  economic  conditions  is  apparent 
to  all  who  have  studied  this  question.  How 
to  render  assistance,  and  at  the  same  time 
make  the  people  more  self-reliant,  is  a prob- 
lem that  has  not  yet  been  solved.  In  the 
first  place,  it  would  be  well  if  the  Federal 
Government  would  remove  the  restrictions 
against  the  large  investment  of  capital,  then 
to  render  increased  assistance  in  providing- 
adequate  school  facilities  for  all  the  chil- 
dren of  school  age.  In  a few  years  Porto 
Rico  ought  to  have  an  educated,  intelligent 
population  abundantly  able  to  work  out 
their  own  problems  and  to  dignify  labor 
which  is  now  regarded  as  belonging  to  the 
peon  class.  It  is  our  conviction  that  what 
Porto  Rico  needs  more  than  any  other  one 
thing  in  improving  her  economic  condition 


140 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Privileges 
Granted  by 
tbe  Spanish 
Government 


is  a large  class  of  intelligent  workingmen 
who  are  not  averse  to  earnest,  diligent 
labor. 

II.  The  Political  Situation 

During  the  centuries  of  Spanish  rule, 
Porto  Ricans  had  very  little  opportunity  for 
the  exercise  of  their  political  tendencies. 
Not  until  1870  were  they  given  the  specific 
right  of  suffrage,  and  then  it  was  so  limited 
that  a very  few,  about  20,000,  were  permit- 
ted to  vote  for  provincial  deputies  and  mu- 
nicipal councilors,  who  were  practically 
nominated  by  the  Crown. 

In  1897,  owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  pressure 
that  was  being  applied  by  the  United  States 
to  Spain  in  the  interests  of  Cuba,  an  auto- 
nomical  form  of  government  was  granted 
to  Porto  Rico.  This  extended  the  franchise 
to  male  Spaniards  over  twenty-five  years  of 
age  who  had  resided  in  the  municipality  for 
two  years — criminals  and  bankrupts  ex- 
cepted. The  voting  population  then  num- 
bered about  150,000.  The  only  election  un- 
der this  law  was  held  on  March  27,  1898. 
This  was  said  to  have  been  manipulated  by 
Sagasta,  the  Prime  Minister,  so  that  all 
those  elected  were  his  nominees.  This  so- 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  141 


called  self-government  had  just  been  started 
when  the  United  States  army  of  occupation 
took  charge  of  the  Island. 

1 The  military  government  provided  the 
following  qualifications  of  electors: 

1.  He  must  be  a bona  fide  male  resident, 
over  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  must  have 
resided  in  Porto  Rico  for  two  years  and 
in  the  municipality  for  six  months  previous 
to  the  election.  Or  he  must  be  a citizen  or 
subject  of  a foreign  country,  who,  fulfill- 
ing the  requirements  stated  above  as  to  sex, 
age  and  residence  in  the  municipality,  has 
resided  five  years  in  Porto  Rico,  and  has, 
under  oath,  renounced  his  foreign  allegiance 
and  declared  his  intention  to  become  a citi- 
zen of  the  United  States. 

2.  He  must  be  a taxpayer  of  record,  who, 
subsequent  to  July  11,  1898,  and  previous 
to  October  12,  1899,  paid  at  least  $1  of 
some  kind  of  regular  tax  for  the  support  of 
the  Government,  not  including  payments 
for  licenses,  fees,  fines,  duties,  imports,  and 
other  temporary  charges ; taxes  paid  on  the 
property  of  a wife,  minor  child,  or  member 
of  a firm  or  corporation  to  qualify  the  re- 
spective husband,  father  or  partner  as  an 

1 See  Military  Government  Porto  Rico 


American 

Military 

Provisions 


142 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


eligible  taxpayer.  Or  he  must  be  able  to 
read  and  write  some  language. 

The  elections  held  under  the  military 
government  were  the  first  in  Porto  Rico 
where  there  was  an  honest  effort  to  secure 
just  returns.  Where  irregularities  occurred, 
elections  were  repeated.  Where  there  were 
attempts  at  fraud,  a strict  investigation  was 
made,  and  in  one  case  at  least  a criminal 
prosecution  followed.  Partisan  spirit  was 
intensely  bitter  during  the  elections  and 
has  remained  so  ever  since. 

Warning  The  political  leaders  were  intent  upon 
securing  selfish  ends  and  only  the  strong 
hand  of  the  Government  prevented  deadly 
riots.  The  result  of  the  voting  showed  that 
51,650  votes  were  cast.  In  commenting 
upon  the  qualifications  of  voters  in  Porto 
Rico,  General  Davis  says : 1 “It  seems  abso- 
lutely essential  that  the  franchise  in  Porto 
Rico  be  restricted  on  some  basis  that  shall 
prevent  the  political  control  from  passing 
into  the  hands  of  the  vast  horde  of  the  ig- 
norant, who  have  no  conception  of  the  duties 
of  citizenship,  a condition  that  is  recognized 
and  admitted  by  the  most  intelligent  and 
patriotic  Porto  Ricans.  ...  If  universal 


1 Military  Government  Porto  Hico,  page  114 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  143 


or  manhood  suffrage  be  given  to  the  Porto 
Ricans,  bad  results  are  almost  sure  to  fol- 
low. The  vast  majority  of  the  people  are 
no  more  fit  to  take  part  in  self-government 
than  are  our  reservation  Indians,  from 
whom  the  suffrage  is  withheld  unless  they 
pay  taxes.  They  certainly  are  far  inferior 
in  the  social,  intellectual  and  industrial 
scale  to  the  Chinese,  who,  for  very  good 
reasons,  are  forbidden  to  land  on  our  shores. 
The  ignorant  masses  will  be  manipulated 
and  controlled  and  corrupted  by  the  polit- 
ical bosses,  just  as  they  were  accustomed  to 
be  by  their  former  masters.  They  will  be 
subservient  to  their  new  masters,  and  what- 
ever party  can  sway  and  dictate  to  the 
masses  will  control  their  votes.” 

Notwithstanding  this  word  of  warning, 
the  law  was  so  constructed  that  at  the  first 
election  under  the  civil  government  there 
was  practically  universal  suffrage.  It  reads 
as  follows : 1 “Any  male  citizen  over  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years  who,  on  the  day  of  reg- 
istration, produces  to  the  Board  of  Regis- 
try, a tax  receipt  showing  the  payment  of 
any  kind  of  taxes  for  the  last  six  months 
of  the  year  in  which  the  election  is  held.” 

1 Military  Government  Porto  Rico,  Page  114 


Provisions  of 
the  Civil 
Government 


144 


Down  in  Porto  Eico 


Two  Political 
(Parties 


All  that  was  necessary  was  a receipt  show- 
ing payment  of  some  kind  of  taxes  within 
six  months  from  the  day  of  registration. 
The  lowest  tax  is  three  cents  for  the  privi- 
lege of  depositing  a basket  of  vegetables  on 
the  floor  of  the  market  place  and  selling 
them.  A receipt  for  three  cents  entitles  the 
holder  to  the  right  of  suffrage.  The  result 
was  a registry  list  of  158,924  voters. 

Immediately  after  the  American  occupa- 
tion, the  people  of  Porto  Eico  divided  them- 
selves into  two  parties — the  Eepublican  and 
the  Federal.  There  was  very  little  differ- 
ence in  the  principles  announced  in  their 
platforms.  They  were  alike  in  declaring 
their  loyalty  to  the  United  States,  in  de- 
siring a Territorial  Government,  and  at  an 
early  date,  Statehood.  Both  declared  them- 
selves to  be  in  favor  of  universal  suffrage, 
free  schools,  American  money,  free  trade 
with  the  United  States,  and  in  hearty  sym- 
pathy with  the  American  judicial  system. 
In  addition  to  these  statements,  the  Fed- 
erals  advocated  local  autonomy,  the  grant- 
ing of  larger  powers  to  the  city  councils,  the 
chartering  of  banks,  and  claimed  to  be  the 
champion  of  the  laboring  man. 

The  Eepublicans  advocated  free  speech 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  145 


and  a free  press,  the  American  system  of 
taxation,  and  the  teaching  of  English  in 
the  public  schools.  The  Republicans,  up  to 
1904,  generally  supported  the  American  ad- 
ministration, while  the  Federals  more  or 
less  actively  opposed  it. 

The  most  intense  feeling  is  indulged  in 
by  the  members  of  the  different  parties. 
Men  of  one  party  frequently  will  not  speak 
to  those  of  the  other.  The  newspapers  use 
the  most  intemperate  language  in  regard  to 
their  political  opponents.  Hatreds  are  in- 
tense and  lead  to  riots.  Just  before  the 
November  elections  in  1900  a number  of 
clashes  occurred  which  resulted  in  blood- 
shed. In  San  Juan,  mob  law  prevailed  for 
several  days.  A printing  press  was  de- 
stroyed, hundreds  of  shots  were  fired,  the 
police  were  helpless,  and  the  city  was  at  the 
mercy  of  the  rioters.  When  the  Federals 
realized  that  they  would  be  defeated  at  the 
polls,  they  issued  orders  for  all  Federals  to 
refrain  from  voting.  The  very  thing  that 
General  Davis  had  predicted  had  already 
come  to  pass.  The  ignorant,  unthinking 
masses  followed  blindly  the  leadership  of  a 
demagogue  without  giving  a thought  to 


Bitter 

Feeling 


146 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Change  of 
Party  Lines 


principles  of  government  or  to  the  good  of 
the  Island. 

In  1902,  the  Federalists  were  in  the  field 
again,  and  ante-election  hatreds  were  stirred 
up.  Intense  excitement  prevailed,  riots 
broke  out,  and  blood  flowed.  As  the  Re- 
publicans had  supported  the  Government 
and  had  the  majority  of  votes,  they  were 
given  a majority  of  the  election  officers.  It 
is  claimed  that  there  was  considerable  fraud 
and  some  intimidation  on  the  part  of  the 
Republicans.  However  that  may  be,  the 
returns  showed  that  five  of  the  seven  legis- 
lative districts  had  gone  Republican,  and 
this  fact  increased  the  animosity  of  the 
party  which  had  been  defeated.  The  excit- 
able nature  and  the  uncompromising  tem- 
perament of  Latin  Americans  make  it  diffi- 
cult for  them  to  learn  the  lesson  of  govern- 
ment by  majority  rule. 

In  the  spring  of  1904,  the  leader  of  the 
Federal  party,  who  then  lived  in  New  York, 
met  the  representatives  of  his  party  and  ad- 
vised them  to  disband  and  form  a new  pa- 
triotic organization  that  would  refrain  from 
voting  and  would  seek  only  the  good  of 
Porto  Rico.  This  advice  was  followed,  the 
Federal  party  was  dissolved,  and  a non- 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  147 

voting  Union  party  was  organized.  This 
created  great  dissatisfaction  among  the  for- 
mer Federals,  and  before  the  time  of  the 
election,  the  Union  party  had  a ticket  in 
the  field  and  five  of  the  seven  districts  re- 
turned Union  majorities. 

On  July  4th  preceding  the  1904  elections, 
a new  Governor  was  inaugurated.  Each 
party  sought  the  favor  of  the  new  execu- 
tive. It  soon  became  rumored  that  he  was 
inclined  to  listen  to  the  leaders  of  the 
Union  party.  Governor  W in  t hr  op’s  friends 
claimed  that  he  was  impartial  and  decided 
questions  without  any  partisan  bias.  In  the 
November  elections,  the  Insular  Govern- 
ment took  measures  to  prevent  disorders 
and  fraud  at  the  polls.  The  Unionists 
claim  that  this  secured  an  honest  election 
which  resulted  in  victory  for  their  party. 
The  Republicans  charge  the  Government 
with  using  its  influence  in  favor  of  their 
opponents  and  thus  caused  a panic  among 
the  large  number  of  the  peon  class  that  had 
been  accustomed  to  vote  the  Republican 
ticket.  Partially  as  a result  of  this  elec- 
tion, the  Republican  party  is  now  strongly 
against  the  government,  and  vies  with  its 
rival  in  trying  to  secure  favor  among  the 


Governor 

Winthrop 


148 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Anti- 

Americanism 


voters  by  means  of  bitter  denunciations  of 
the  American  rulers. 

At  the  present  time,  therefore,  we  find 
the  great  majority  of  the  people  of  Porto 
Rico  either  dissatisfied  with  the  American 
Government  or  openly  hostile  to  it.  In  a 
preceding  chapter,  we  pointed  out  that  the 
chief  cause  of  discontent  is  found  in  the 
economic  conditions  that  have  obtained 
during  American  rule.  The  natural  way 
for  the  expression  of  industrial  discon- 
tent is  through  political  channels.  It  is  so 
in  our  own  States.  If  a panic  occurs  dur- 
ing a Republican  administration,  that 
party  is  held  responsible  for  it  in  the  minds 
of  the  great  masses  of  the  people.  Or  if 
there  is  a financial  depression  during  a 
Democratic  administration,  the  people  call 
the  Democrats  to  account  for  it.  During 
the  seven  years  of  American  rule  in  Porto 
Rico,  the  people  have  been  subjected  to  hard 
times.  It  is  only  natural  that  they  should 
find  fault  with  the  Government,  and  then, 
when  relief  failed  to  come,  to  assume  a hos- 
tile attitude  toward  it.  The  probabilities 
are  that  if  Porto  Rico  had  enjoyed  favor- 
able industrial  conditions,  there  would  have 
been  little  fault  found  with  the  political 
management  of  Insular  affairs.  It  is  well 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  149 


to  keep  this  in  mind  as  we  study  the  politi- 
cal grievances  of  the  people. 

The  Insular  Government  is  vested  in  a 
House  of  Delegates  elected  by  the  people, 
an  Executive  Council  of  eleven  members 
appointed  by  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  Governor,  who  is  also  ap- 
pointed by  the  President.  Five  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Executive  Council  are  Porto 
Ricans.  The  other  six  are  Americans,  who 
are  the  heads  of  Government  departments. 
They  are  the  Secretary,  Attorney  General, 
Treasurer,  Auditor,  Commissioner  of  In- 
terior, and  Commissioner  of  Education. 

At  first  , this  form  of  government  seemed 
satisfactory  to  the  Porto  Ricans.  To  give 
to  people  who  had  exercised  but  little  power 
in  self-government  the  entire  lower  House 
and  five  of  the  eleven  members  of  the  upper 
House  seemed  a liberal  concession  on  the 
part  of  Congress.  But  as  the  years  have 
gone,  there  has  developed  a strong  feeling 
that  greater  legislative  power  should  be 
given  to  the  people  of  the  Island.  Perhaps 
this  was  best  expressed  in  the  Convention 
of  Municipal  Delegates  that  met  in  San 
Juan,  July  25,  1905.  They  petitioned  that 
the  executive  and  legislative  functions  of 


Present 

Government 


Self  Govern- 
ment Desired 


150 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


American 

Encourage- 

ment 


the  Government  be  separated.  That  is,  that 
the  heads  of  departments  should  not  be 
members  of  the  upper  House.  They  re- 
quested that  the  members  of  the  upper 
House  as  well  as  the  lower  House  be  elected 
by  the  people,  and  the  heads  of-  departments 
be  appointed  by  the  Governor  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  upper  House. 

To  some  Americans  who  are  all  sympathy 
with  immediate  self-government,  these  re- 
quests seem  reasonable,  and  they  urge  that 
they  be  granted.  It  ought  not  to  be  for- 
gotten that  many  felt  the  same  way  toward 
the  emancipated  slaves  at  the  close  of  the 
Civil  War.  Universal  negro  suffrage  fol- 
lowed and  the  disastrous  results  both  to 
black  and  white  men  of  the  South  is  a mat- 
ter of  history.  We  have  already  made  the 
mistake  in  Porto  Rico  of  putting  the  ballot 
into  the  hands  of  one  hundred  thousand  men 
who  can  neither  read  nor  write  and  who 
know  no  more  about  self-government  than 
the  ex-slave  did  at  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War.  Now,  shall  we  turn  over  the  entire 
legislature  of  the  Island  to  people  who  have 
had  so  little  instruction  or  experience  in 
American  statesmanship? 

It  is  believed  by  many  who  have  studied 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  151 


the  problem  of  self-government  for  Porto 
Rico  that  already  more  power  has  been 
given  the  people  than  they  are  prepared  to 
exercise  wisely.  It  was  a great  mistake  to 
bestow  the  right  of  suffrage  upon  perhaps 
two  thirds  of  the  voters  of  this  Island,  be- 
cause of  their  ignorance  and  their  utter  in- 
ability to  understand  the  issues  before  the 
people.  To  have  two  such  votes  for  every 
intelligent  vote  is  a condition  that  is  omi- 
nous to  the  honest  administration  of  any 
government. 

Governor  Hunt  who  was  sometimes 
charged  with  being  too  conciliatory  in  his 
attitude  toward  the  Porto  Ricans  and  of 
having  ultra-optimistic  views  of  their  prog- 
ress in  self-government,  has  this  to  say : 

1 “It  is  probable  that  a majority  of  all  the 
people  want  Territorial  Government.  But 
those  of  us  who  have  participated  in  affairs 
for  several  years  unanimously  believe  that 
the  present  form  of  government  ought  not 
to  be  changed  now.  It  is  liberal  in  its  ex- 
tension of  political  autonomy  and  most  gen- 
erous in  its  financial  benefits.  The  creation 
of  a house  of  delegates  conferred  vast  power 
upon  the  people,  considering  their  limited 


1 Report  of  Governor  of  Porto  Rico,  1903,  page  13 


152 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Advice  Not 
Wanted 


government  in  the  past.  It  is  perhaps  the 
severest  test  to  which  they  are  being  put, 
and  the  legislative  sessions  will  be  anxious 
times  for  years  to  come.” 

During  the  first  few  sessions  of  the  legis- 
lature there  was  a desire  to  be  directed 
somewhat  by  the  Governor  and  the  Execu- 
tive Council.  Now  the  delegates  seem  to 
feel  that  they  know  better  than  any  one  else 
what  laws  should  be  passed.  If  they  are  not 
able  to  carry  their  bills  through  the  Exec- 
utive Council,  they  sulk  and  refuse  to  at- 
tend to  any  further  business.  This  was 
strikingly  demonstrated  in  the  special  ses- 
sion held  in  1901.  The  previous  session 
had  passed  an  agricultural  loan  bill  and 
satisfactory  arrangements  were  made  in  the 
United  States  for  floating  the  loan.  The 
Governor  then  called  a special  session  to 
complete  negotiations  for  the  loan  and  to 
determine  what  disposition  should  be  made 
of  the  money.  The  House  of  Delegates  were 
determined  that  a large  part  of  it  should 
be  loaned  to  the  farmers  to  pay  off  their 
mortgages.  The  Executive  Council  would 
not  agree  to  this  scheme  of  the  government 
going  into  a mortgage  business,  and  refused 
to  authorize  the  loan  for  that  purpose  The 


Patriotic  Demonstrations 
Fourth  of  July  Celebration 
Public  School  Parade 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  153 

House  of  Delegates  then  decided  to  do  no 
further  business.  The  Governor  called  the 
attention  of  the  House  to  a clerical  error  by 
which  the  Government  was  losing  a large 
sum  annually  on  the  internal  revenue  tax. 
The  previous  sessions  had  imposed  a tax 
of  a certain  sum  per  hundred  cigars.  In 
copying,  an  extra  cipher  had  been  added  by 
the  clerk  making  it  read  per  thousand. 
Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  delegates 
knew  that  it  was  a clerical  error  and  would 
mean  a large  loss  for  the  Insular  Govern- 
ment, because  of  their  anger  at  the  Execu- 
tive Council,  they  would  not  correct  the 
mistake.  It  was  not  until  the  session  was 
almost  ready  to  adjourn  that  some  of  the 
leaders  took  the  matter  up  and  had  it  ad- 
justed by  a majority  of  one  vote.  Should 
men  capable  of  such  action  as  this  have  the 
full  responsibility  of  the  government  of 
one  million  souls  placed  in  their  hands  at 
once?  It  is  hoped  by  many  of  Porto  Rico’s 
friends  that  the  American  Government  will 
not  place  more  power  in  the  hands  of  the 
native  politicians  until  they  show  favorable 
signs  of  being  able  to  administer  it  wisely. 

Another  political  grievance  of  the  Island- 
ers is  the  decision  of  the  United  States 


American 

Citizenship 


154 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Americans  i 
Porto  Bico 


Court  that  Porto  Ricans  are  not  American 
citizens.  They  have  lost  their  citizenship 
in  Spain,  they  are  not  an  independent  na- 
tion, now  they  learn  that  they  are  not  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States.  They  belong  to 
no  country,  they  are  waifs  among  the  na- 
tions of  the  world.  They  cannot  be  natural- 
ized because  they  are  not  foreigners.  They 
cannot  be  admitted  to  the  privileges  of 
American  citizens,  for  they  are  neither  na- 
tive-born nor  adopted  Americans.  Is  it  any 
wonder  that  this  wounds  the  pride  of  the 
Porto  Rican  and  gives  rise  to  hard  feelings 
against  a Government  that  permits  such  un- 
just discrimination?  Congress  should  take 
immediate  action  in  this  matter  and  give 
to  Porto  Ricans  their  just  rights — Amer- 
ican citizenship  without  any  restrictions. 

Another  cause  of  political  discontent  is 
due  to  the  personnel  of  some  of  the  Amer- 
ican officials.  Without  exception  all  the 
Governors,  both  military  and  civil,  have 
been  men  of  high  moral  standing  who  had 
the  best  interests  of  Porto  Rico  at  heart. 
Some  criticisms  have  been  made  in  regard 
to  policies  pursued,  but  the  motives  were 
always  of  the  best  and  due  credit  has  been 
given  to  the  integrity  of  the  Executive. 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  155 


With  but  few  exceptions,  the  heads  of 
the  departments  have  also  been  men  who 
fairly  represented " American  official  life. 
In  several  instances,  Commissioners  were 
accused  of  having  personal  interests  in  pub- 
lic contracts,  but,  as  a rule,  there  has  been 
remarkable  freedom  from  charges  of  graft. 

There  have  been  some  officials,  however, 
who  have  disgraced  both  themselves  and 
their  country.  An  American  judge  was 
said  to  have  been  in  close  relationship  to 
one  of  the  worst  saloons  and  gambling  dens 
on  the  Island.  Several  high  officials  in  the 
Army  and  Navy  were  implicated  in  smug- 
gling liquor  from  St.  Thomas.  An  officer  of 
the  Marine  Corps  got  drunk  and  almost 
raised  a riot  in  the  streets  of  San  Juan.  An 
officer  of  the  Army  was  found  in  a disreput- 
able part  of  the  city  where  he  was  run  over 
by  a street  car,  presumably  while  he  was 
under  the  influence  of  liquor.  A special 
United  States  Commissioner  was  notori- 
ously given  to  drink.  One  of  the  men  in 
high  civil  position  is  said  to  be  partially 
under  the  influence  of  liquor  a large  part  of 
his  time.  An  employee  in  the  treasury  de- 
partment embezzled  the  funds  of  a promi- 
nent social  club.  One  of  the  latest  ap- 


156 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Taxation 


pointees  to  the  head  of  a department  got 
drunk  on  the  boat  going  down,  continued 
in  that  condition  for  quite  a while  after  his 
arrival,  and  after  remaining  there  for  sev- 
eral weeks  much  of  which  time  he  was  un- 
der the  influence  of  liquor,  he  was  recalled. 
These  are  a few  examples  of  men  who  should 
have  represented  our  government,  deliber- 
ately misrepresenting  it.  If  you  add  to  this 
list  the  drunkenness  of  the  sailors,  the  finan- 
cial sharks  and  dishonest  tradesmen,  the 
scum  of  society,  both  men  and  women,  that 
follow  in  the  wake  of  an  army  and  do  not  al- 
ways leave  with  it,  you  can  see  why  the  best 
class  of  Porto  Ricans  do  not  have  an  exalted 
opinion  of  Americans  and  are  not  particu- 
larly anxious  to  have  them  as  teachers  in 
self-government. 

Another  cause  of  political  discontent  is 
due  to  the  system  of  taxation.  Under  Span- 
ish law  taxes  were  levied  upon  the  revenue. 
Under  American  law,  it  is  levied  upon  the 
property.  Many  abuses  and  misunder- 
standings have  crept  in  during  this  change. 
Persons  who  never  paid  taxes  before  remon- 
strate against  doing  so  now.  Very  few  will 
question,  however,  the  wisdom  of  this 
change.  When  once  the  system  is  under- 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  157 


stood  and  justly  put  into  execution,  this 
source  of  friction  will  disappear. 

There  are  a number  of  minor  difficulties 
in  the  way  of  a people  accustomed  to  Span- 
ish life  and  mode  of  operation,  adjusting 
themselves  to  American  standards.  These 
do  not  need  to  be  taken  up  in  detail.  They 
will  disappear  of  themselves  as  a closer  re- 
lationship is  formed  between  Porto  Ricans 
and  Americans.  We,  therefore,  reaffirm 
our  believe  that,  while  some  political  mat- 
ters need  immediate  adjustment,  the  anti- 
American  sentiment  in  Porto  Rico  is  due 
to  industrial  rather  than  political  causes. 
Once  the  economic  conditions  of  the  Island 
become  prosperous,  the  political  troubles 
will  rapidly  disappear. 

Summary 

We  believe  that  Porto  Rico  is  on  the  high- 
way to  ultimate  success  in  her  efforts  to  be- 
come a worthy  member  of  the  sisterhood  of 
States.  In  view  of  the  many  discouraging 
conditions  that  have  been  set  forth,  it  per- 
haps would  be  well  for  us  to  state  the  basis 
of  this  belief. 

1.  The  Public  School. 

The  establishment  of  the  American  pub- 
lic school  system  forms  a basis  for  an  intel- 


158 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


ligent  citizenship.  Already  60,000  children 
are  annually  receiving  a common  school 
education.  There  are  in  round  numbers 
1,200  teachers,  120  of  whom  are  Americans, 
and  all  the  Porto  Rican  teachers  have  some 
knowledge  of  English.  This  means  that  the 
rising  generation  will  be  able  to  read  and 
think  for  themselves.  It  means  also  that, 
as  these  boys  and  girls  become  acquainted 
with  American  institutions  and  American 
ideals,  the  present  antagonisms  and  misun- 
derstandings will  rapidly  disappear.  The 
common  schools  in  Porto  Rico  as  in  other 
parts  of  our  nation  will  prove  a strong  force 
in  cultivating  patriotism  and  loyalty  to  our 
Republican  form  of  government. 

2.  Separation  of  Church  and  State. 

The  union  of  Church  and  State  has  ever 
proved  disastrous  to  the  nations  which  have 
enforced  such  a law.  Porto  Rico  is  released 
from  ecclesiastical  bondage.  Religious  be- 
liefs can  now  be  accepted  or  rejected  as  in- 
dividuals wish.  Freedom  of  worship,  and 
its  natural  companions,  freedom  of  speech 
and  freedom  of  the  press,  are  proving  great 
boons  for  the  development  of  sturdy  and  in- 
dependent characters.  This  is  one  of  Porto 
Rico’s  great  needs.  After  four  centuries  of 
paternalism  both  in  Church  and  State, 
Porto  Ricans  are  just  beginning  to  feel 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  159 


“that  all  men  are  created  equal;  that  they 
are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain 
unalienable  rights;  that  among  these  are 
life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.” 
Although  many  abuse  this  newly  acquired 
liberty,  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  there  are 
rapidly  developing  strong  independent 
thinkers  in  matters  sacred  and  secular. 

3.  Home  life. 

The  great  impetus  that  has  been  given  to 
the  establishment  of  legal  homes  and  the 
development  of  home  life  is  already  produc- 
ing very  satisfactory  results.  The  children 
are  better  clad,  the  little  shacks  are  having 
furniture  placed  in  them,  books  and  papers 
are  finding  their  way  into  these  homes  of 
the  lowly,  and  there  is  a noticeable  improve- 
ment in  the  morals  of  the  people.  As  the. 
home  is  the  unit  of  national  or  community 
life,  if  its  standard  be  raised,  then  that  of 
the  whole  community  is  elevated.  This  is 
what  is  taking  place  in  all  parts  of  Porto 
Rico.  The  rapidly  rising  moral  tone  of 
family  life  augurs  well  for  the  future  of 
this  people. 

4.  Economic  Conditions. 

The  constantly  increasing  trade  relations 
with  other  parts  of  the  United  States  is 


3 GO 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


helping  to  overcome  the  present  unfortu- 
nate industrial  affairs  of  the  Island  and 
will  eventually  bring  to  Porto  Rico  its  share 
of  prosperity.  A comparison  of  imports 
and  exports  between  the  year  1898  and  1904 
shows  the  increase  in  these  trade  relations. 
In  1898  our  imports  from  Porto  Rico 
amounted  to  $2,382,170;  in  1904,  they  were 
$12,963,483,  a gain  of  over  ten  and  one  half 
millions  of  dollars.  In  1898,  we  sold  them 
$1,404,004,  while  in  1904,  the  amount  was 
$11,934,978,  another  gain  of  more  than  ten 
and  a half  millions  of  dollars.  In  these 
facts  there  is  hope. 

Quite  a large  sum  of  American  money  has 
already  been  invested  in  Porto  Rico,  and  if 
Congress  repeals  the  pernicious  anti-monop- 
oly law,  there  will  undoubtedly  be  a much 
larger  investment  of  American  capital  in 
the  Island.  The  injury  wrought  by  the 
change  of  currency  is  now  largely  a thing 
of  the  past.  The  system  of  taxation  is  rap- 
idly becoming  a just  and  equitable  reality. 
The  wages  of  workingmen  are  in  the  as- 
cendency, and  there  is  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve that,  with  a little  aid  from  Congress, 
hard  times  will  soon  disappear  from  Porto 
Rico. 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  161 


5.  Nobility  of  labor. 

Another  of  the  hopeful  signs  is  the  change 
of  sentiment  toward  manual  labor.  Under 
the  old  regime,  it  was  considered  beneath 
the  dignity  of  respectable  persons  to  do  any 
kind  of  manual  labor — that  was  reserved 
for  servants  and  peons.  This  was  the  old 
Spanish  idea  of  nobility,  and  it  will  take 
time  and  education  to  eradicate  it.  There 
are  some  agencies  at  work  that  are  already 
having  an  influence  upon  public  opinion. 
Chief  among  these,  perhaps,  are  the  indus- 
trial schools  that  have  been  established  in 
connection  with  the  public  school  system. 
In  these  institutions  the  boys  are  taught 
how  to  use  tools.  While  not  claiming  to 
make  trained  mechanics  of  these  boys,  they 
are  given  a taste  of  this  kind  of  work,  and 
with  the  instruction  they  here  receive,  they 
can  soon  become  skilled  workmen.  The 
girls  are  taught  domestic  science,  sewing 
and  other  kindred  occupations.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  industrial  schools,  the  agricul- 
tural school  at  Rio  Piedras  trains  the  boys 
in  scientific  farming.  The  results  of  the 
teaching  of  this  school,  and  the  nineteen 
other  agricultural  schools  of  the  rural  dis- 


162 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


tricts,  will  undoubtedly  help  in  the  future 
development  of  this  fertile  Island. 

The  normal  school  at  Rio  Piedras  is  also 
doing  an  excellent  work  in  training  both 
young  men  and  young  women  to  teach  the 
schools  of  the  Island  according  to  the  best 
methods  now  in  use  in  other  parts  of  the 
United  States. 

With  these  agencies  preparing  the  boys 
and  girls  for  useful  citizenship,  is  there  not 
good  reason  to  believe  in  the  future  of  Porto 
Rico? 

6.  Politics. 

Politics  will  always  be  a disturbing  ele- 
ment among  people  of  the  Porto  Rican  tem- 
perament. However,  as  they  gain  confi- 
dence in  the  ballot  as  a means  of  decid- 
ing their  differences  of  opinions,  as  they 
insist  upon  the  integrity  of  the  judiciary, 
as  they  learn  to  use  wisely  the  power  that 
is  in  their  own  hands,  there  is  no  reason  for 
grave  fears  from  this  source.  The  present 
political  unrest  is  due  largely  to  economic 
conditions,  and  in  part  to  the  anomalous 
position  of  Porto  Ricans  in  the  matter  of 
citizenship.  As  these  difficulties  are  ad- 
justed, a much  better  spirit  is  sure  to  pre- 
vail. We  believe  that  it  will  be  but  a com- 


Industrial  and  Political  Situation  163 

paratively  short  time, — perhaps  in  this  gen- 
eration,— until  Porto  Rico  shall  demon- 
strate her  fitness  for  self-government  and 
shall  take  her  place  among  the  other  States 
of  this  Nation. 

Our  self-imposed  task  of  portraying  the 
Porto  Rico  of  to-day  is  finished.  We  have 
given  the  results  of  careful  investigation 
and  first-hand  information.  We  have  tried 
to  keep  our  promise  to  give  facts  as  we 
found  them.  Some  errors  may  have  been 
recorded,  but  an  earnest  effort  has  been 
made  to  be  accurate.  We  send  out  this 
book  with  the  hope  that  it  may  help  its 
readers  to  a clearer  conception  of  present 
conditions  in  our  new  Island  possession, 
and  that  it  may  assist  in  developing  a 
deeper  sympathy  for  a people  struggling 
upward  in  a new  life. 


Political 

Parties 


CHAPTER  VII 

Further  Progress  under  American 
Administration 

During  the  four  years  that  have  elapsed 
since  the  preceding  chapters  were  written, 
substantial  progress  has  been  made  in  Porto 
Rico  in  the  political,  educational,  moral, 
and  industrial  life  of  the  people. 

The  two  chief  political  parties  are  still 
the  Union  and  the  Republican,  but  there  are 
now  several  smaller  organizations  that  take 
part  in  the  elections.  The  general  policies 
of  the  two  major  parties  remain  unchanged, 
the  Union  being  considered  the  Anti-Amer- 
ican and  the  Republican  the  American 
party.  The  Union  has  been  in  control  since 
1904.  Governor  Post,  who  succeeded  Gov- 
ernor Winthrop,  was  believed  to  be  favor- 
able to  the  Union  party.  This  won  for  him 
the  enmity  of  the  Republican  leaders,  who 
would  naturally  have  been  his  supporters. 
The  Union  leaders  worked  in  harmony  with 
the  governor  only  so  long  as  he  granted 
their  demands.  When  he  refused  to  give  all 
they  asked  it  brought  about  deadlocks,  the 

164 


Further  Progress 


165 


last  one  of  which,  in  the  spring  of  1909,  was 
so  serious  as  to  call  for  a special  message 
to  Congress  from  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  This  message  is  quite  an  illumi- 
nating document  as  to  what  the  United 
States  has  done  for  Porto  Rico,  and  may  be 
found  at  the  close  of  this  chapter. 

Porto  Ricans  have  not  yet  been  granted 
American  citizenship,  although  they  persist- 
ently appeal  for  it,  and  President  Roosevelt 
strongly  urged  it  in  one  of  his  last  messages 
to  Congress. 

There  are  Americans  still  holding  promi-  undesirable 
nent  government  positions  in  Porto  Rico Amenoans 
who  are  severely  criticised  for  their  political 
policies  and  their  private  lives.  This  criti- 
cism comes  not  only  from  the  natives  but 
from  the  better  class  of  Americans  living  on 
the  island.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  our 
representatives  are  not  always  men  of  clean 
and  sober  lives. 

Education  in  Porto  Rico  has  made  rapid  Public  Sohoois 
strides  every  year  since  the  establishment  of 
the  American  public  school  system.  In  our 
chapter  on  education  there  is  a brief  review 
of  the  progress  made  from  1899  to  1904.  It 
is  interesting  to  compare  the  figures  of  1904 
with  those  of  1909.  In  1904  there  were  1,113 


166 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


The  Catholio 
Churoh 


Protestantism 


common  schools,  with  an  enrollment  of 
61,168,  and  an  average  daily  attendance  of 
41,798.  In  1909  there  were  1,912  common 
schools,  with  an  enrollment  of  114,367,  and 
an  average  daily  attendance  of  72,776.*  The 
number  of  schools  taught  wholly  in  English 
has  increased  from  a few  graded  schools  in 
1904  to  a total  of  429  in  1909.  The  Commis- 
sioner of  Education  gives  a resume  of  the 
progress  made  in  the  public  schools  of  Porto 
Rico  during  the  years  1908  and  1909,  which 
appears  at  the  close  of  this  chapter. 

Religious  activity  under  American  protec- 
tion has  spread  to  all  parts  of  the  island. 
The  Catholic  Church,  aroused  by  the  work 
of  Protestant  missionaries,  has  been  adjust- 
ing itself  to  the  new  conditions.  Unworthy 
priests  have  been  removed,  charitable  insti- 
tutions are  better  managed,  the  spiritual  in- 
terests of  the  communicants  are  receiving 
more  c-are,  and  in  many  respects  the  Cath- 
olic Church  is  greatly  improved  over  what 
it  was  during  the  Spanish  regime. 

Protestantism  has  been  an  aggressive  force 
in  Porto  Rico  ever  since  the  island  came- 
into  the  possession  of  the  United  States. 
During  the  last  four  years  religious  services 

'Commissioner’s  Leaflet,  1909. 


Further  Progress 


167 


have  been  increased  in  number  until  they 
have  been  established  in  every  village. 

Schools  have  been  opened  where  the  govern- 
ment was  unable  to  provide  them,  orphan- 
ages and  hospitals  minister  to  physical 
needs,  Sunday  schools  are  training  young 
people  to  higher  standards  of  morality,  and 
the  verdict  of  thousands  of  Porto  Ricans  is 
that  Protestantism  has  been  and  is  a great 
uplifting  power  among  the  people. 

Industrial  conditions  have  been  steadily  commerce 
improving,  as  the  following  comparisons 
will  show:  the  total  imports  had  increased 
from  $9,366,230  in  1901  to  $25,825,665  in 
1908;  in  the  same  period  the  exports  had 
risen  from  $8,583,967  to  $30,644,490;  the 
value  of  sugar  exported  had  increased  from 
$4,715,611  in  1901  to  $18,690,504  in  1908; 
of  tobacco,  from  $681,642  to  $5,410,195 ; cof- 
fee, from  $118,694  to  $4,304,609 ; citrus 
fruits,  from  $84,475  to  $675,255. 

The  government  has  persistently  pushed  Roads 
forward  the  construction  of  good  roads.  The 
Spanish  built  276.5  kilometers  of  macadam 
roads  during  their  entire  period  of  rulership 
in  Porto  Rico.  In  the  first  ten  years  of 
American  domination,  613.7  kilometers  were 
built.  Many  substantial  bridges  have  been 


168 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Public  Works 


constructed  also,  and  rich  agricultural  sec- 
tions that  were  formerly  inaccessible  have 
been  opened  to  the  markets. 

During  the  years  of  1908  and  1909  irriga- 
tion has  been  undertaken  by  the  government 
on  the  southern  side  of  the  island  and  large 
tracts  of  arid  land  have  been  changed  into 
fertile  fields. 

Other  public  works  deserve  special  men- 
tion, such  as  the  extension  of  the  railroad 
and  trolley  systems,  the  dredging  of  San 
Juan  harbor,  the  construction  of  telephone 
lines,  and  the  erection  of  many  public  build- 
ings. There  has  been  a constant  improve- 
ment in  practically  all  lines  of  industrial 
activity. 

The  friends  of  Porto  Rico  note  with  pleas- 
ure each  advance  made  by  the  people  of  this 
island.  It  is  their  earnest  wish  that  the 
Porto  Ricans  shall  soon  be  acknowledged  as 
legal  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  that 
the  coming  generation  may  become  so  thor- 
oughly “Americanized”  that  Congress  will 
add  another  star  to  our  flag  to  represent  the 
State  of  Porto  Rico.  Porto  Ricans  can 
speed  this  day  by  cooperating  with  the  gov- 
ernment in  its  efforts  to  help  the  people 
rather  than  by  attempting  to  obstruct. 


Further  Progress 


169 


Two  Years’  Progress  in  Public  Education 
in  Porto  Rico 

(Commissioner’s  Leaflet,  1909) 

The  number  of  common  schools  increased 
from  1,139  to  1,912 ; increase,  67.8  per  cent. 
(By  “common  school”  is  meant  a teacher 
and  group  of  pupils.) 

Total  enrollment  in  common  schools  in- 
creased from  71,669  to  114,367 ; increase, 
60.5  per  cent. 

Average  daily  attendance  in  common 
schools  increased  from  44,218  to  72,776;  in- 
crease, 64.6  per  cent. 

Municipalities  in  which  secondary  instruc- 
tion is  given  increased  from  three  to  eight. 

Enrollment  in  secondary  schools  in- 
creased from  182  to  321 ; increase,  84  per 
cent. 

Night  schools  increased  from  98  to  118; 
increase,  20.4  per  cent. 

Schools  taught  wholly  in  English  in- 
creased from  202  to  429;  increase,  114  per 
cent. 

Cost  of  maintenance  of  public  schools  for 
school  year  1906-07,  $832,588;  for  the  year 
1908-09,  $1,146,619;  increase  in  expense, 
37.7  per  cent. 


170 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Number  of  school  buildings  erected  dur- 
ing the  first  nine  years  of  American  occupa- 
tion, 101,  at  a cost  of  $519,025. 

Number  constructed  during  the  past  two 
years,  89,  at  a cost  of  $241,814. 

Government  scholarships  for  students 
studying  in  the  United  States  increased 
from  45  to  59. . 

Government  scholarships  for  students 
studying  in  the  normal  department  of  the 
University  of  Porto  Rico  increased  from  28 
to  75. 

Government  scholarships  for  students 
studying  in  the  high  schools  of  the  island 
increased  from  50  to  100. 

Morrill  fund  secured  for  the  University  of 
Porto  Rico. 

Plan  of  promotion  of  pupils  in  graded 
schools  each  six  weeks  instead  of  annually, 
introduced  throughout  the  island. 

Extra  year  added  to  the  course  in  rural 
schools. 

Kindergartens  established. 

Local  supervising  officers  increased  from 
19  to  35. 

Salaries  of  737  teachers  increased  an  av- 
erage of  $75  each. 


Further  Progress  171 

School  playgrounds  established  in  17  mu- 
nicipalities. 

School  banks  established  in  275  schools. 
School  libraries  established  in  57  towns 
and  barrios. 


MESSAGE  FROM  TIIE  PRESIDENT 
OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

To  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives : 

An  emergency  has  arisen  in  Porto  Rico 
which  makes  it  necessary  for  me  to  invite 
the  attention  of  the  Congress  to  the  affairs 
of  that  island,  and  to  recommend  legislation 
at  the  present  extra  session  amending  the 
act  under  which  the  island  is  governed. 

The  regular  session  of  the  legislative  as- 
sembly of  Porto  Rico  adjourned  March  11 
last  without  passing  the  usual  appropriation 
bills.  A special  session  of  the  assembly  was 
at  once  convened  by  the  governor,  but  after 
three  days,  on  March  16,  it  again  adjourned 
without  making  the  appropriations.  This 
leaves  the  island  government  without  provi- 
sion for  its  support  after  June  30  next.  The 
situation  presented  is,  therefore,  of  unusual 
gravity. 

The  present  government  of  Porto  Rico 


172 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


was  established  by  what  is  known  as  the 
Foraker  Act,  passed  April  12,  1900,  and  tak- 
ing effect  May  1,  1900.  Under  that  act  the 
chief  executive  is  a governor  appointed  by 
the  President  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate. 
A secretary,  attorney-general,  treasurer,  au- 
ditor, commissioner  of  the  interior,  and  com- 
missioner of  education,  together  with  five 
other  appointees  of  the  President,  constitute 
the  Executive  Council.  The  Executive  Coun- 
cil must  have  in  its  membership  not  less 
than  five  native  Porto  Ricans.  The  legisla- 
tive power  is  vested  in  the  legislative  as- 
sembly, which  has  two  coordinate  branches. 
The  first  of  these  is  the  Executive  Council 
just  described,  and  the  second  is  the  House 
of  Delegates,  a popular  and  representative 
body,  with  members  elected  by  the  qualified 
electors  of  the  seven  districts  into  which  the 
island  is  divided. 

The  statute  directing  how  the  expenses  of 
government  are  to  be  provided  leaves  some 
doubt  whether  this  function  is  not  com- 
mitted solely  to  the  Executive  Council,  but 
in  practice  the  legislative  assembly  has  made 
appropriations  for  all  the  expenses  other 
than  for  salaries  fixed  by  Congress,  and  it  is 
too  late  to  reverse  that  construction. 


Further  Progress 


173 


Ever  since  the  institution  of  the  present 
assembly,  the  House  of  Delegates  has  uni- 
formly held  up  the  appropriation  bills  until 
the  last  minute  of  the  regular  session,  and 
has  sought  to  use  the  power  to  do  so  as  a 
means  of  compelling  the  concurrence  of  the 
Executive  Council  in  legislation  which  the 
House  desired. 

In  the  last  regular  legislative  assembly, 
the  House  of  Delegates  passed  a bill  divid- 
ing the  island  into  several  counties  and  pro- 
viding county  governments;  a bill  to  estab- 
lish manual  training  schools;  a bill  for  the 
establishment  of  an  agricultural  bank;  a 
bill  providing  that  vacancies  in  the  offices  of 
mayors  and  councilmen  be  filled  by  a vote  of 
the  municipal  councils  instead  of  by  the  gov- 
ernor, and  a bill  putting  in  the  control  of  the 
largest  taxpayers  in  each  municipal  district 
the  selection  in  great  part  of  the  assessors 
of  property. 

The  Executive  Council  declined  to  concur 
in  these  bills.  It  objected  to  the  agricultural 
bank  bill  on  the  ground  that  the  revenues  of 
the  island  were  not  sufficient  to  carry  out 
the  plan  proposed,  and  to  the  manual  train- 
ing school  bill  because  in  plain  violation  of 
the  Foraker  Act.  It  objected  to  the  change 


174 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


in  the  law  concerning  the  appraisement  of 
property  on  the  ground  that  the  law  was  in- 
tended to  put  too  much  power,  in  respect  of 
the  appraisement  of  property  for  taxation, 
in  the  hands  of  those  having  the  most  prop- 
erty to  tax.  The  chief  issue  was  a bill  mak- 
ing all  the  judges  in  municipalities  elective. 
Under  previous  legislation  there  are  26  mu- 
nicipal judges  who  are  elected  to  office.  By 
this  bill  it  was  proposed  to  increase  the  elect- 
ive judges  from  26  to  66  in  number,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  abolish  the  justices  of  the 
peace.  The  change  was  objected  to  on  the 
ground  that  the  election  of  municipal  judges 
had  already  interfered  with  the  efficient  and 
impartial  administration  of  justice,  had 
made  the  judges  all  of  one  political  faith  and 
mere  political  instruments  in  the  hands  of 
the  central  committee  of  the  Unionist  or 
dominant  party.  The  attitude  of  the  Execu- 
tive Council  in  refusing  to  pass  these  bills 
led  the  House  of  Delegates  to  refuse  to,pass 
the  necessary  appropriation  bills. 

The  facts  recited  demonstrate  the  willing- 
ness of  the  representatives  of  the  people  in 
the  House  of  Delegates  to  subvert  the  gov- 
ernment in  order  to  secure  the  passage  of 
certain  legislation.  The  question  whether 


Further  Progress 


175 


the  proposed  legislation  should  be  enacted 
into  law  was  left  by  the  fundamental  act  to 
the  joint  action  of  the  Executive  Council  and 
the  House  of  Delegates  as  the  legislative  as- 
sembly. The  House  of  Delegates  proposes 
itself  to  secure  this  legislation  without  re- 
spect to  the  opposition  of  the  Executive 
Council,  or  else  to  pull  down  the  whole  gov- 
ernment. This  spirit,  which  has  been  grow- 
ing from  year  to  year  in  Porto  Rico,  shows 
that  too  great  power  has  been  vested  in  the 
House  of  Delegates  and  that  its  members  are 
not  sufficiently  alive  to  their  oath-taken  re- 
sponsibility, for  the  maintenance  of  the  gov- 
ernment, to  justify  Congress  in  further  re- 
posing in  them  absolute  power  to  withhold 
appropriations  necessary  for  the  govern- 
ment’s life. 

For  these  reasons  I recommend  an  amend- 
ment to  the  Foraker  Act  providing  that 
whenever  the  legislative  assembly  shall  ad- 
journ without  making  the  appropriations 
necessary  to  carry  on  the  government,  sums 
equal  to  the  appropriations  made  in  the  pre- 
vious year  for  the  respective  purposes  shall 
be  available  from  the  current  revenues  and 
shall  be  drawn  by  the  warrant  of  the  auditor 
on  the  treasurer  and  countersigned  by  the 


176 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


governor.  Such  a provision  applies  to  the 
legislatures  of  the  Philippines  and  Hawaii, 
and  it  has  prevented  in  those  two  countries 
any  misuse  of  the  power  of  appropriation. 

The  House  of  Delegates  .sent  a committee 
of  three  to  Washington,  while  the  Executive 
Council  was  represented  by  the  secretary 
and  a committee  consisting  of  the  attorney- 
general  and  the  auditor.  I referred  both 
committees  to  the  secretary  of  the  interior, 
whose  report,  with  a letter  from  Governor 
Post,  and  the  written  statements  of  both 
committees,  accompany  this  message. 

I have  had  one  personal  interview  with 
the  committee  representing  the  House  of 
Delegates  and  suggested  to  them  that  if  the 
House  of  Delegates  would  pass  the  appro- 
priation bill  without  insisting  upon  the  pas- 
sage of  the  other  bills  by  the  Executive  Coun- 
cil, I would  send  a representative  of  the 
government  to  Porto  Rico  to  make  an  in- 
vestigation and  report  in  respect  to  the  pro- 
posed legislation.  Their  answer,  which  shows 
them  not  to  be  in  a compromising  mood,  was 
as  follows: 

“If  the  legislative  assembly  of  Porto  Rico  would 
be  called  to  an  extraordinary  session  exclusively  to 
pass  an  appropriation  bill,  taking  into  consideration 


Further  Progress 


177 


the  state  of  affairs  down  the  island  and  the  high 
dissatisfaction  produced  hy  the  intolerant  attitude 
of  the  Executive  Council,  and  also  taking  into  con- 
sideration the  absolute  resistance  of  the  House  to  do 
any  act  against  its  own  dignity  and  the  dignity  of  the 
country,  it  is  the  opinion  of  these  commissioners  that 
no  agreement  would  be  attained  unless  the  Council 
feel  disposed  to  accept  the  amendments  of  the  House 
of  Delegates. 

“However,  if  in  the  proclamation  calling  for  an 
extraordinary  session  the  judicial  and  municipal 
reforms  would  be  mentioned,  and  if  the  Executive 
Council  would  accept  that  the  present  justices  of  the 
peace  be  abolished  and  municipal  judges  created  in 
every  municipality,  and  that  vacancies  occurring  in 
mayorships  and  judgeships  be  filled  by  the  muni- 
cipal councils,  as  provided  in  the  so-called  ‘ municipal 
bills  ’ passed  by  the  House  in  its  last  session,  then 
the  commissioners  believe  that  the  appropriation  bills 
will  be  passed  in  the  House  as  introduced  in  the 
council  without  delay.” 


Porto  Rico  has  been  the  favored  daughter 
of  the  United  States.  The  sovereignty  of 
the  island  in  1899  passed  to  the  United 
States  with  the  full  consent  of  the  people  of 
the  island. 

Under  the  law  all  the  customs  and  inter- 
nal revenue  taxes  are  turned  into  the  treas- 
ury of  Porto  Rico  for  the  maintenance  of 
the  island  government,  while  the  United 
States  pays  out  of  its  own  treasury  the  cost 
of  the  local  army — that  is,  a full  Porto 


178 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


Rican  regiment — the  revenue  vessels,  the 
lighthouse  service,  the  coast  surveys,  the 
harbor  improvements,  the  marine  hospital 
support,  the  post  office  deficit,  the  weather 
bureau,  and  the  upkeep  of  the  agricultural 
experiment  stations. 

Very  soon  after  the  change  of  sovereignty 
a cyclone  destroyed  a large  part  of  Porto 
Rican  coffee  culture ; $200,000  was  expended 
from  the  United  States  treasury  to  buy  ra- 
tions for  those  left  in  distress.  The  island  is 
policed  by  700  men,  and  complete  tranquil- 
lity reigns. 

Before  American  control  87  per  cent  of 
the  Porto  Ricans  were  unable  to  read  or 
write,  and  there  was  not  in  this  island,  con- 
taining a million  people,  a single  building 
constructed  for  public  instruction,  while  the 
enrollment  of  pupils  in  such  schools  as  there 
were,  551  in  number,  was  but  21,000.  To- 
day in  the  island  there  are  160  such  build- 
ings, and  the  enrollment  of  pupils  in  2,400 
schools  has  reached  the  number  of  87,000. 
The  year  before  American  sovereignty  there 
was  expended  $35,000  in  gold  for  public  edu- 
cation. Under  the  present  government  there 
is  expended  for  this  purpose  a total  of  a mil- 
lion dollars  a year. 


Further  Progress 


179 


When  the  Americans  took  control  there 
were  172  miles  of  macadamized  road.  Since 
then  there  have  been  constructed  452  miles 
more,  mostly  in  the  mountains,  making  in 
all  now  a total  of  624  miles  of  finely  planned 
and  admirably  constructed  macadamized 
roads — as  good  roads  as  there  are  in  the 
world. 

In  the  course  of  the  administration  of  this 
island,  the  United  States  medical  authorities 
discovered  a disease  of  tropical  anaemia 
which  was  epidemic  and  was  produced  by  a 
microbe  called  the  “hook  worm.”  It  so  much 
impaired  the  energy  of  those  who  suffered 
from  it,  and  so  often  led  to  complete  pros- 
tration and  death,  that  it  became  necessary 
to  undertake  its  cure  by  widespread  govern- 
mental effort.  I am  glad  to  say  that  225,000 
natives,  or  one  fourth  of  the  entire  popula- 
tion, have  been  treated  at  government  ex- 
pense, and  the  effect  has  been  much  to  re- 
duce the  extent  and  severity  of  the  disease 
and  to  bring  it  under  control.  Substantially 
every  person  in  the  island  has  been  vacci- 
nated and  smallpox  has  practically  disap- 
peared. 

There  is  complete  free  trade  between 
Porto  Rico  and  the  United  States,  and  all 


180 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


customs  duties  collected  in  the  United 
States  on  Porto  Rican  products  sub- 
sequent to  the  date  of  Spanish  evacua- 
tion, amounting  to  nearly  $3,000,000,  have 
been  refunded  to  the  island  treasury.  The 
loss  to  the  revenues  of  the  United  States 
from  the  free  admission  of  Porto  Rican  prod- 
ucts is  |15,000,000  annually.  The  wealth 
of  the  island  is  directly  dependent  upon  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil,  to  cane,  tobacco,  cof- 
fee, and  fruit,  for  which  we  in  America  pro- 
vide the  market.  Without  our  fostering  be- 
nevolence the  business  of  Porto  Rico  would 
be  as  prostrate  as  are  some  of  the  neighbor- 
ing West  Indian  islands.  Before  American 
control  the  trade  balance  against  the  island 
was  over  $12,500,000,  while  the  present  bal- 
ance of  trade  in  favor  of  the  island  is  $2,500,- 
000.  The  total  of  exports  and  imports  has 
increased  from  about  $22,000,000  before 
American  sovereignty  to  $56,000,000  at  the 
present  day.  At  the  date  of  the  American 
occupation  the  estimated  value  of  all  agri- 
cultural land  was  about  $30,000,000.  Now 
the  appraised  value  of  the  real  property  in 
the  island  reaches  $100,000,000.  The  ex- 
penses of  government  before  American  con- 
trol were  $2,969,000,  while  the  receipts  were 


Further  Progress 


181 


13,644,000.  For  the  year  1906  the  receipts 
were  §4,250,000,  and  the  expenditures  were 
§4,084,000.  Of  the  civil  servants  in  the  cen- 
tral government,  343  are  Americans  and 
2,548  are  native  Porto  Ricans.  There  never 
was  a time  in  the  history  of  the  island  when 
the  average  prosperity  of  the  Porto  Rican 
has  been  higher,  when  his  opportunity  has 
been  greater,  when  his  liberty  of  thought 
and  action  was  more  secure. 

Representatives  of  the  House  of  Delegates 
insist  in  their  appeals  to  Congress  and  to  the 
public  that  from  the  standpoint  of  a free  peo- 
ple the  Porto  Ricans  are  now  subjected  un- 
der American  control  to  political  oppression 
and  to  a much  less  liberal  government  than 
under  that  of  Spain.  To  prove  this  they  refer 
to  the  provisions  of  a royal  decree  of  1897, 
promulgated  in  November  of  that  year.  The 
decree  related  to  the  government  of  Porto 
Rico  and  Cuba  and  was  undoubtedly  a great 
step  forward  in  granting  a certain  sort  of 
autonomy  to  the  people  of  the  two  islands. 
The  war  followed  within  a few  months  after 
its  promulgation,  and  it  is  impossible  to  say 
what  its  practical  operation  would  have 
been.  It  was  a tentative  arrangement,  revo- 
cable at  the  pleasure  of  the  Crown,  and  had, 


182 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


in  its  provisions,  authority  for  the  governor- 
general  to  suspend  all  of  the  laws  of  the  leg- 
islature of  the  island  until  approved  or  dis- 
approved at  home,  and  to  suspend  at  will  all 
constitutional  guarantees  of  life,  liberty,  and 
property,  supposed  to  be  the  basis  of  civil 
liberty  and  free  institutions.  The  insular 
legislature  had  no  power  to  enact  new  laws 
or  to  amend  existing  laws  governing  prop- 
erty rights  or  the  life  and  liberty  of  the  peo- 
ple. The  jurisdiction  to  pass  these  remained 
in  the  hands  of  the  National  Cortes  and  in- 
cluded the  mass  of  code  laws  governing  the 
descent  and  distribution  and  transfer  of 
property  and  contracts,  and  torts,  land  laws, 
notarial  laws,  laws  of  waters  and  mines, 
penal  statutes,  civil,  criminal,  and  adminis- 
trative procedure,  organic  laws  of  the  mu- 
nicipalities, election  laws,  the  code  of  com- 
merce, etc. 

In  contrast  with  this,  under  its  present 
form  of  government  the  island  legislature 
possesses  practically  all  the  powers  of  an 
American  commonwealth,  and  the  constitu- 
tional guarantees  of  its  inhabitants,  instead 
of  being  subject  to  suspension  by  executive 
discretion,  are  absolutely  guaranteed  by  act 
of  Congress.  The  great  body  of  substantive 


Further  Progress 


183 


law  now  in  force  in  the  island — political, 
civil,  and  criminal  code,  codes  of  political, 
civil,  and  criminal  procedure,  the  revenue, 
municipal,  electoral,  franchise,  educational, 
police,  and  public  works  laws,  and  the  like — 
has  been  enacted  by  the  people  of  the  island 
themselves,  as  no  law  can  be  put  upon  the 
statute  books  unless  it  has  received  the  ap- 
proval of  the  representative  lower  house  of 
the  legislature.  In  no  single  case  has  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States  intervened  to 
annul  or  control  acts  of  the  legislative  as- 
sembly. For  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  Porto  Rico  the  island  is  living  under  laws 
enacted  by  its  own  legislature. 

It  is  idle,  however,  to  compare  political 
power  of  the  Porto  Ricans  under  the  royal 
decree  of  1897,  when  their  capacity  to  exer- 
cise it  with  benefit  to  themselves  was  never 
in  fact  tested,  with  that  which  they  have  un- 
der the  Foraker  Act.  The  question  we  have 
before  us  is  whether  their  course  since  the 
adoption  of  the  Foraker  Act  does  not  show 
the  necessity  for  withholding  from  them  the 
absolute  power  given  by  that  act  to  the  legis- 
lative assembly  over  appropriations,  when 
the  House  of  Delegates,  as  a coordinate 
branch  of  that  assembly,  shows  itself  willing 


184 


Down  in  Porto  Rico 


and  anxious  to  use  such  absolute  power,  not 
to  support  and  maintain  the  government, 
but  to  render  it  helpless.  If  the  Porto  Ricans 
desire  a change  in  the  form  of  the  Foraker 
Act,  this  is  a matter  of  congressional  consid- 
eration dependent  on  the  effect  of  such  a 
change  on  the  real  political  progress  in  the 
island. 

Such  a change  should  be  sought  in  an  or- 
derly way  and  not  brought  to  the  attention 
of  Congress  by  paralyzing  the  arm  of  the 
existing  government.  I do  not  doubt  that 
the  terms  of  the  existing  fundamental  act 
might  be  improved,  certainly  in  qualifying 
some  of  its  provisions  as  to  the  respective 
jurisdictions  of  the  Executive  Council  and 
the  legislative  assembly;  and  I suggest  to 
Congress  the  wisdom  of  submitting  to  the 
appropriate  committees  this  question  of  re- 
vision. But  no  action  of  this  kind  should 
be  begun  until  after,  by  special  amendment 
of  the  Foraker  Act,  the  absolute  power  of 
appropriation  is  taken  away  from  those  who 
have  shown  themselves  too  irresponsible  to 
enjoy  it. 

In  the  desire  of  certain  of  their  leaders  for 
political  power  Porto  Ricans  have  forgotten 
the  generosity  of  the  United  States  in  its 


Further  Progress 


' 185 


dealings  with  them.  This  should  not  be  an 
occasion  for  surprise,  nor  in  dealing  with  a 
whole  people  can  it  be  made  the  basis  of  a 
charge  of  ingratitude.  When  we,  with  the 
consent  of  the  people  of  Porto  Rico,  assumed 
guardianship  over  them  and  the  guidance  of 
tbeir  destinies,  we  must  have  been  conscious 
that  a people  that  had  enjoyed  so  little  op- 
portunity for  education  could  not  be  ex- 
pected safely  for  themselves  to  exercise  the 
full  power  of  self-government ; and  the  pres- 
ent development  is  only  an  indication  that 
we  have  gone  somewhat  too  fast  in  the  ex- 
tension of  political  power  to  them  for  their 
own  good. 

The  change  recommended  may  not  imme- 
diately convince  those  controlling  the  House 
of  Delegates  of  the  mistake  they  have  made 
iu  the  extremity  to  which  they  have  been 
willing  to  resort  for  political  purposes,  but 
in  the  long  run  it  will  secure  more  careful 
and  responsible  exercise  of  the  power  they 
have. 

There  is  not  the  slightest  evidence  that 
there  has  been  on  the  part  of  the  governor  or 
of  any  member  of  the  Executive  Council  a 
disposition  to  usurp  authority,  or  to  with- 
hold approval  of  such  legislation  as  was  for 


180 


Down  in  Porto  Pico 


the  best  interests  of  the  island,  or  a lack  of 
sympathy  with  the  best  aspirations  of  the 
Porto  Rican  people. 

Wm.  H.  Taft. 

The  White  House,  May  10,  1909. 


Date  Due 


Date  Due 

u>  T j 

’/  o 

6t  2 4 ’4 

Kf 

U 

0-4-1  i) 

|! 

I 

W 

~T 

'H. 

T 

w-5- 

J i 

jii 

n! 

Sfc  ? j^i  r 

vU 

** 

T 

< 

«n« 

LltL  2 9 

i Uifc 

f 

